The Servant
by Mist2393
Summary: When Helen and Nikola were at Oxford, there was a servant girl who befriended them. Kind of a bad summary...In this story there will be Teslen.
1. Chapter 1

**This is going to be a fairly long story, just as a warning. Also, even though Druitt isn't officially introduced until next chapter, just a warning, there will be a fair amount of Druitt bashing. Anyway, enjoy and let me know what you think.  
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**I do not own Sanctuary, but I do own Kiri. She is mine. **

There was a servant girl. She was short, only about fourteen, and had light brown hair with green eyes. She worked at Oxford, although she was not employed by the school and no one seemed to know who paid her. She started work just a month after Helen started attending classes, and she always seemed to be in the same room as Helen, and so it was widely believed that she worked for Helen's father, though Helen had never seen her at the house. The girl was respectful almost to a fault, referring to everyone as "lord" or "lady" and refusing to look anyone in the eye. Helen would look out for the girl, scolding other students when they treated her wrongly. One day, as Helen was walking towards the school, she noticed the servant girl talking to a new student just outside the main doors. Helen stopped, smiling slightly.

"Good morning. I don't normally see you out here," she greeted the girl, nodding her head. The girl let out a yelp of surprise and turned, bowing deeply.

"Good morning, m'lady. I-I was just on my way inside, I-I did not mean to offend you," she apologized, looking up worriedly.

"You have not offended anyone," Helen assured her before looking up and meeting the eyes of the new student. The girl turned as well and said something to the stranger in perfect Serbian, and the stranger replied. Then he looked up at Helen, his grey eyes seeming to take in everything about her in the one glance.

"Kiri tells me that your name is Helen," he stated, nodding his head in greeting.

"Yes, it is. Helen Magnus," she affirmed, nodding in return. She turned back to the girl, blue eyes sparkling. "So, your name is Kiri. How is it that he has learnt in a few minutes what I spent months trying to discover?" Kiri blushed, looking down.

"Because, m'lady, I have already met m'lord. Before I came to work here, I was employed by a family in his hometown," she explained, glancing up at the stranger.

"I am Nikola Tesla," he introduced himself. Kiri turned and said something to him in Serbian, and he blushed faintly, averting his gaze. Suddenly, Kiri glanced at the sky and let out another yelp of surprise.

"I must get going. I'm late. So very, very late. I am terribly sorry for disturbing you, and I hope I haven't made you late as well," she exclaimed, bowing deeply to first Helen, then Nikola, before disappearing inside so fast that by the time Helen had processed what she had said, she was long gone. Helen went through her normal day, thinking about how much she would like to befriend the Serbian, something about the way he treated Kiri had endeared himself to Helen.

The next day, Helen stepped out of her carriage to see Nikola and Kiri sitting together on a bench, feeding birds and talking in Serbian. Helen walked over to stand next to them, smiling in greeting. Kiri gasped in shock and hopped off the bench, bowing deeply.

"Good morning, m'lady," she greeted, not looking up.

"Relax, Kiri. You can stop being a servant around us," Helen told her, putting a hand on her shoulder. Kiri looked up at her with big eyes, looking shocked. Helen smiled at her, and Kiri grinned back.

"Thank you," she said, her eyes shining. Behind her, Nikola stood, a lopsided grin on his face.

"Is there an us now?" he asked. Helen smiled at him.

"I would like us to be friends," she responded. A brief look of shock crossed his face, but it was quickly covered up by a smile.

"I would like that as well, I think," he finally consented, his smile broadening into a grin. Helen grinned in reply, then set down on the bench Nikola and Kiri had just vacated. Nikola sat down next to her, looking slightly awkward. Helen seemed to sense his awkwardness, and turned to face him.

"What are you here to study?" she inquired, a genuinely curious expression on her face.

"Mostly physics," he answered, shrugging.

"Oh, are you good at physics then?" Nikola nodded, cocking his head at her. "Could you perhaps help me after class today? There are some things I don't quite understand."

"Of course. We can meet right here." Nikola smiled, then turned to Kiri. "You could come as well, Kiri," he offered. Kiri's eyes widened with shock.

"Me? But…but I am not even taking the class!" She took half a step back, then looked around almost fearfully. "Think of what people would say. I'm just a servant. To be spending time with you, and _learning_…" She shook her head vigorously, her face distraught. Nikola chuckled at her, and their conversation was cut short by the chiming of the bells. The three friends entered the school, Kiri disappearing to do her work.

After classes, Helen was sitting on the same bench when Nikola walked out, followed by Kiri carrying a stack of books. Helen stood, smiling at Kiri before turning to Nikola.

"Couldn't you have carried those yourself?" she demanded, reaching down to take the books from Kiri, who grinned up at her.

"I don't mind. It is my job, after all," she assured the older woman, her tone light. Nikola ruffled her hair as he passed to stand next to Helen.

"It was the only way I could convince her to come," he whispered into her ear before turning to flash a grin at Kiri as he sat on the bench. Helen joined him, and they began studying while taking turns coming up with things to ask Kiri to do so the younger girl would stay with them. This became a regular routine for the three of them, and soon Kiri began to tag along without the need for assigned tasks. She became like a younger sister to Helen and Nikola, and they both made sure that she was treated well by the other students.


	2. Chapter 2

**So, I sorta wanted to wait a little while to update this, so that you guys don't catch up to me, but at the moment I'm writing this quickly enough that it shouldn't really matter all that much. Anyway, enjoy and let me know what you think.**

**I do not own Sanctuary, but Kiri is mine.**

~1 Year Later~

Helen and Nikola were sitting on their bench, waiting for Kiri, who was unusually late. Helen was just about to get up and go look for her when she walked out of the building, flanked by a man who looked about two years older than Helen. As Kiri approached, a long gash on her face became evident, along with several large bruises on her arms. Despite this, she was grinning and appeared to be laughing with the stranger following her. When she was about ten yards away, Nikola stood and walked over to her, gently assessing her wounds.

"Who did this to you?" he inquired, his voice hard.

"Nikola, don't make a big deal out of it. I'm fine," she told him, her voice laced with concern. Nikola and Helen both chuckled, the latter coming over to stand next to Nikola.

"Figures that you'd be concerned about me after this happened," Nikola remarked, pulling away to allow Helen to tend to the gash on Kiri's cheek.

"Really, it was nothing. It was just one of the boys trying to prove how masculine they are," Kiri responded, sharing a look with Helen. Once Kiri had been tended to, Helen and Nikola straightened to look at the stranger.

"Were you one of them?" Nikola demanded warningly.

"No. He helped me," answered Kiri, pushing Nikola back slightly. The stranger extended a hand, smiling amicably.

"James Watson," he said, shaking first Nikola's hand, then Helen's, surprising her.

"I'm Helen Magnus, and this is Nikola Tesla. It is a pleasure to meet you," Helen responded, curtsying slightly. Nikola merely nodded his head, his face remaining carefully placid. James smiled at them, his face kind and gentle.

"The pleasure is all mine," he responded. "I must be going, but it was good to meet you all." James bowed slightly and left, disappearing down the street. As soon as he was gone, Nikola turned to Helen and Kiri, his eyes questioning.

"Is there anything you need help with today?" he asked Helen.

"I don't, no. But I was thinking perhaps we could teach Kiri some things," she suggested, smiling down at their younger friend. Kiri's eyes widened and she looked from one to the other, suddenly looking terrified.

"N-no! I am not supposed to learn things!" she exclaimed, shaking her head. Helen reached out and put a hand on Kiri's shoulder.

"Kiri, you have just as much of a right to learn as Nikola and I do." Helen squeezed Kiri's shoulder as she spoke, then led Kiri over to the bench, where both girls sat down. Nikola walked around to stand behind them, leaning on the back of the bench to see over their shoulders. Helen, meanwhile, reached down and pulled a book out of her bag.

"Beginning Mathematics?" Nikola asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"We have to start somewhere," Helen countered, frowning at him.

"I agree. But how did you get a Beginning Mathematics book?" Nikola chuckled faintly, a smirk on his face.

"My father has an extensive library filled with textbooks for all ages." Helen turned and smacked Nikola's arm with the book, causing Kiri to laugh as Nikola feigned injury. Helen grinned at Kiri before turning to open the book. Kiri glanced at the pages, and her face fell.

"He-Helen, there are words on that page," she pointed out, her face fearful. Helen's brow furrowed curiously, and behind her Nikola slapped a hand to his head.

"Of course, you wouldn't have learned to read English," he remarked. Kiri looked up at him, shaking her head.

"I don't know how to write it, either," she added, turning to face Helen.

"Well then we shall have to teach you. Come on, it will be easier at my home." Helen stood and walked a few steps before realizing that neither Nikola nor Kiri had moved an inch.

"Well, aren't you two coming?" she finally asked, her grin fading slightly.

"Helen, it would be inappropriate for me to go to your home," Nikola said at last, blushing faintly and looking away. Helen made a face as she walked back to them.

"Nikola, when has that ever stopped you before?" she demanded. "I am fairly certain yelling at that professor last week wasn't appropriate." She cocked an eyebrow and smirked. Nikola rolled his eyes, though his blush darkened.

"He had no right to say those things about you," he said defensively. "But it's not my reputation I'm worried about." Helen's face softened and she smiled at him.

"You're sweet," she remarked, giggling as he blushed even more. "But we're still going to my home. Come." She turned on her heel and began walking away, Kiri and Nikola following more slowly.

"You like her," Kiri commented in Serbian, glancing up at him. Nikola rolled his eyes and let out a sigh.

"Sometimes I regret treating you like a sister. It gives you far too many liberties, sestrice," he responded. Kiri giggled, pushing him lightly with her shoulder.

"You're only saying that because I'm right," she teased, grinning.

"Right about what?" Helen inquired, turning to face them. Kiri winced, having not noticed that her last statement had been in English.

"Kiri thinks that I am secretly homesick," Nikola lied, winking at Kiri as soon as Helen had looked away. Kiri giggled again, then both of them ran to catch up to Helen, who was standing next to her coach. Helen entered first, followed by Nikola. Kiri had just put her foot on the first step when an angry voice stopped her.

"Servant girl, get away from there!" someone yelled. Kiri turned towards the voice, and was suddenly slapped away, landing on the ground with an "oof" as the wind was knocked out of her. Nikola and Helen were out of the coach in an instant, Nikola turning to face the man while Helen knelt next to Kiri worriedly. The stranger looked between Helen and Nikola curiously for a minute before turning and walking away. Kiri lifted herself off the ground, groaning and rubbing the back of her head.

"Are you okay?" Helen inquired, one hand on Kiri's shoulder.

"I-I'm fine. I'm used to it," she assured her friend, grinning. She walked over to stand next to the step into the coach and curtsied at Nikola and Helen. "After you, m'lord, m'lady." Helen smiled and entered the coach, followed by Nikola, who ruffled Kiri's hair as he passed. She followed them up and sat next to Helen while Nikola sat across from them. It was about half an hour before the carriage pulled up outside of the Magnus estate, and Kiri immediately hopped out, standing aside to let Helen and Nikola out. Once everyone was out, Kiri and Nikola looked at Helen's house with awe.

"You live here?" Nikola questioned, his eyes wide.

"Yes. Most of it is used for my Father's work though. All the rooms I use are in one wing," Helen responded, smiling at the looks on their faces. She led them inside, where a maid came over to take their coats and gloves. Helen led them through the house to a small library with a fireplace against one wall surrounded by a couch and two armchairs. Helen motioned for them to sit as she walked to a bookshelf and pulled out an old leather bound book. Once the three of them were settled in, Kiri opened the book, which had the large print typical of children's books. They spent the next few hours teaching Kiri to read, and by the end of the night, Kiri was already well on her way to being able to read.

It was around nine, and the three of them were stretched out in front of the fire, half asleep and content. Suddenly, Kiri jumped up, a concerned expression on her face.

"I must be getting home. I'm not allowed to stay out all night," she exclaimed, rushing to make sure she had all of her things, which really consisted of nothing more than a small satchel filled with what she called mementos.

"Kiri, my carriage can bring you home. I would hate to have you walk home alone at night," Helen told her, sitting up. Kiri shook her head.

"That's very kind of you, but I would rather walk. It's not very far, I'll be fine," Kiri answered, grinning. She leaned forward and pecked them both on the cheek, then bounced out of the room, her light brown hair bouncing behind her. Helen and Nikola watched her go, both with small smiles on their faces. Once she was gone, Helen leaned into Nikola, resting her head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her, and they sat like that for quite a while, staring at the fire and enjoying each other's company, until they slowly fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**A bit of a shorter chapter, but the next one is Christmas, so I wanted that all in one chapter. Anyway, I've been sort of waiting to update since I haven't finished the next chapter yet, but then I thought I should just go ahead and do it. As usual, let me know what you think. And now I'll shut up before this gets to be as long** **as the chapter itself.**

**Also as usual, the only person I own in here is Kiri...everything else belongs to someone else...**

The next day, the three of them were at their bench, helping Kiri learn to read some more, when the man who had pushed Kiri the day before walked over to them, an apologetic look on his face. As soon as they noticed him, they all stood, Kiri moving to hide behind Nikola while he and Helen stood their ground.

"What do you want?" Nikola demanded. The stranger chuckled, a sound which, to Kiri's ears, sounded strangely menacing.

"I merely wished to express my deepest apologies," he began, bowing his head slightly. "When I saw that servant girl, I thought she was breaking in alone." At his words, Nikola stiffened, his eyes hardening.

"That 'servant girl' has a name," he hissed, clenching his fists. Behind him, Kiri tugged on his arm.

"Nikola, don't worry about it," she pleaded. He looked back at her, then nodded and forced a smile onto his face. He extended a hand, which the stranger took.

"Nikola Tesla," he told the stranger, bowing his head. "And this is Helen Magnus."

"Montague John Druitt," the stranger responded, smiling. He took Helen's hand and brought it to his lips, passing them across her knuckles softly. She blushed faintly, and Nikola stiffened beside her.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Helen remarked politely. Druitt bowed slightly and left, throwing Nikola a hard look. Once he was out of sight, Kiri stepped around Nikola and cocked her head in the direction he had gone.

"I don't like him," she commented, turning to face Nikola and Helen.

"He was better than most of the men here," Helen countered, a slightly wistful look in her eyes. Next to her, Nikola mumbled something in Serbian as he turned away, sitting back down. Kiri sat down next to him, giving him a look of understanding. Helen finally turned to join them, but turned back when she noticed James approaching them. As soon as Kiri saw him, she leapt up, curtsying deeply. James smiled at her and motioned for her to stand.

"There is no need for that, Kiri," he told her as he approached.

"Can we help you?" Helen inquired, smiling.

"Your name sounded familiar yesterday, and I've finally figured out why. You're Gregory Magnus's daughter," James said, looking at Helen with recognition in his eyes.

"Yes I am," Helen assented, nodding. "Do you know my father?"

"We met at a social function a couple of years ago. Since then I've been aiding Gregory in his work," he replied.

"Really? I suppose that's why he's never spoken of you. He doesn't tell me much about his work." Helen smiled at him.

"Well, I know your father is out, but I was wondering if I could come by this weekend. You see, Gregory and I recently discovered a new one, and I was hoping to get some data." James glanced at Nikola and Kiri while he spoke before looking back at Helen.

"Of course. I'll let the maids know that you're coming." James smiled, then bowed at Nikola and Helen before turning and walking away. Now free from interruptions, the three friends spent the rest of the afternoon teaching each other. Helen taught Kiri how to read, while Kiri and Nikola taught Helen Serbian. Soon, they worked out a system where every time Helen taught Kiri a new word, Kiri or Nikola would teach Helen what the word was in Serbian. They continued this pattern whenever none of them had anything else they needed help with, and soon a month had passed. James would occasionally join them and talk to Helen about her father's work or help explain something to one of them. It was early November, and they began to have their study sessions at Helen's house, where they could stay warm. One day, they had stretched out in front of the fire as they took turns reading from a book Kiri had picked out. The maid came running in, carrying an envelope.

"Excuse me, Miss. We received a letter addressed to you from Mr. Magnus," the maid told Helen, handing her the envelope.

"Thank you, Ellie," Helen responded, nodding in dismissal. Ellie curtsied and left as Helen opened the letter and unfolded it, reading it silently to herself. Suddenly Helen grinned and looked at Nikola excitedly.

"What is it?" he questioned, brow furrowed in confusion.

"Father is inviting you both over for Christmas this year. He says that he would like to meet my friends," Helen explained, grinning.

"Why?" Nikola asked immediately, his brow furrowing.

"I-I told him about how neither of you have family here, and he says that no one should be alone on Christmas." Helen smiled at them, causing both Nikola and Kiri to smile in reply. Suddenly, Kiri hopped up and turned to face Helen and Nikola.

"I should be going," she commented, picking up her satchel and walking away quietly. As was their habit, Helen and Nikola curled up together on the couch and soon fell asleep.

In late November, Kiri told Nikola and Helen that she would be gone for a while, and the next day she disappeared.

**I might write an outtake about some stuff that Nikola and Helen do while Kiri's gone (I've had this idea about a snowball fight bouncing around in my head for a while now) Let me know if you'd like something like that.  
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	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry this took me forever to update, but as usual I was having the hardest time with the presents. I was originally going to have the dinner party included in this chapter, but it would have doubled the chapter's length and will probably take me another week to finish. **

**Also, sorry if I'm messing up the Nikola/Kiri relationship. They're supposed to be acting like brother and sister, but my real-life examples of an older-bro/younger-sis relationship is the exact opposite of what I want these two to be like, so sorry if I'm messing that up at all.**

**I think that's all I meant to tell you for this chapter. Anyway, enjoy, let me know what you think, even if you hate it.**

**As usual, only Kiri belongs to me. Everything else belongs to someone else.**

They next saw Kiri a week before Christmas break started, but when they asked where she'd been, she'd only say that her employer had a job for her in Europe. As soon as break began, Nikola and Kiri arrived at Helen's house with barely one suitcase each. Helen set them up in neighboring guest rooms just across the hall from her room. They spent the first few days in the library, reading and playing games. Two days before Christmas, Kiri went back to her small apartment and when she returned she was carrying three large bags, which she dragged to the living room, where Helen was arranging a pile of presents. She glanced up as the younger girl dragged the bags over to the tree.

"What's in there?" Helen asked curiously.

"Presents for you and Nikola," answered Kiri as she knelt down to begin removing presents from the bag.

"That's quite a few," Helen remarked as she walked over to stand next to Kiri.

"They're not all from me. I have a special surprise for Nikola," Kiri explained, shrugging. Once they were done setting up, they walked to the kitchen, where Gregory and Nikola were sitting in silence as they ate lunch. Kiri giggled as she sat down next to Nikola and Helen sat down next to her father.

"Did you get everything you needed, Kiri?" Gregory inquired politely as Kiri took a bite of a slice of cheese.

"Yep," answered Kiri, grinning.

The rest of the day passed with them finishing up preparations for Christmas, and the next day was spent in more reading and playing games, although this time Gregory joined them. That night, after dinner, Gregory took them all down to the local pond to go ice skating. Afterwards, they had big mugs of hot chocolate before going to bed.

The next morning, Helen, Nikola, and Kiri all went downstairs, where Gregory was already eating a small breakfast of toast and eggs. The three friends joined him, eating a small breakfast. Once they were all finished eating, Gregory led them into the living room. Nikola and Kiri sat side by side on one couch while Helen sat on an arm chair next to them. Gregory walked over to the tree and picked up a present, which he handed to his daughter. She unwrapped it and laughed in delight at the blue velvet dress that lay folded in the box. She lifted it up and held it out for Nikola and Kiri to see.

"Thank you, Father," Helen exclaimed, standing up and pecking Gregory on the cheek. He smiled at her before turning back to the tree and handing Nikola a present from Helen. He glanced at her as he opened it, finding a pair of diamond cuff-links. His eyes widened and he stared at her, mouth agape.

"W-why?" he whispered, voice full of awe.

"Because you're my best friend, silly," Helen responded, grinning at him. He grinned back, his gratitude shining in his eyes. Next, Gregory handed a present to Kiri from Helen. She opened it and pulled out three books. They were Kiri's favorite three from Helen's Library. She grinned and hugged Helen happily, shouting out a thank-you. Next, Helen received a present from Nikola. She opened it and found a silver necklace with a blue sphere pendant. It was a necklace she had admired several times in the market. Her eyes widened and she turned to Nikola in amazement.

"Nikola…this must have cost you every penny you have," she remarked. "Thank you." She pecked him on the cheek and he blushed, turning away in embarrassment. He was acutely aware of the fact that her father was standing five feet away with an eyebrow raised. Nikola's next present was from Kiri, and it was a box full of wires and other electrical supplies, and the box itself was small enough to hide in his dorm room.

"Thanks sestrice," he said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and kissing the top of her head. She giggled, leaning into his embrace. Kiri's next present was from Nikola, and Kiri squealed with delight at the green dress she pulled out. She leaned up and pecked Nikola's cheek herself, grinning at him happily. Helen's next present was from Kiri, and it was a pair of sapphire earrings. Gregory turned to Nikola and Kiri holding up another present with a confused look on his face.

"The writing on this is in Serbian, but I think it's for you," he remarked, handing the package to Nikola. He looked at the top, which read "Na Nikola, od vaša porodica."

"It's from my family. But how-" suddenly he looked at Kiri, who had barely contained glee on her face. "Did you bring this from Serbia?" Kiri nodded, grinning, and he kissed the top of her head before opening the package to reveal a brand new suit.

"Kiri, how did you manage to get a package from Nikola's family?" Helen inquired curiously.

"While I was in Europe, my employer gave me a few days off to visit Smiljan. Nikola's family asked me to bring this to him," Kiri explained, shrugging. With that, the presents had all been opened, and Gregory left the three friends to their own devices for a few hours. At around three, he told them that they had to prepare for a dinner that he was hosting that night. Helen and Kiri helped each other put on their dresses while Nikola changed into his new suit in his room. Once he was dressed, he waited in the living room with Gregory until Kiri and Helen walked downstairs, both in their new dresses. Nikola took an involuntary step forward, his eyes wide.

"Helen, you look absolutely beautiful," he whispered, his voice full of awe. Helen giggled, smiling as she walked over to him with a grin on her face.

"You don't look too bad yourself," she responded, taking in the black suit and burgundy shirt. Nikola smiled back, blushing faintly before turning his attention towards Kiri, who was standing a few feet behind Helen looking self-conscious.

"You look beautiful as well, sestrice," he told her, grinning. Kiri looked down, blushing darkly and scuffing one shoe shyly. Nikola walked over to her and pulled her into a headlock, dragging her to a couch.

"Nikola, let go!" she exclaimed.

"Now sestrice, we've talked about this. When someone complements you, there's no reason to turn all red," he scolded gently in reply, laughing as he sat down with her on the couch. Helen joined them, and they waited for the dinner guests to arrive.


	5. Chapter 5

**See, I told you I'd have a new chapter done within the next few days, and here it is. Originally, this was going to be two separate chapters, but originally they were going to go to a party for New Year's and do a lot more with their Winter Break. But I still can't write parties and I couldn't have them have a snowball fight while still keeping them in character. So now you have this. The good news is I have the rest of this fic and half of the sequel outlined, so that'll make it easier for me to write, so my updates should be more regular now. Anyway, enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: Does anyone really think I own this? Really? Other than Kiri, none of this is mine. If it was, we would have a season five and Teslen would be completely canon.  
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On New Year's Eve, Gregory went out to a party, leaving Helen, Nikola, and Kiri alone in the house to celebrate. Helen had pulled out an old bottle of Bordeaux and poured them all a glass. Kiri took one sip of hers, then made a face and placed her glass on a table. Nikola chuckled at her, taking a sip of his own wine and humming appreciatively.

"Do you two want to go into town later to celebrate?" Helen questioned as she sat down on the couch. Kiri and Nikola glanced at each other.

"I don't think so. I'd much rather stay here," Nikola told her.

"Me too. New Year's should be celebrated with people you like. And I barely know anyone but you two," added Kiri, nodding. Helen laughed as she nodded.

"Alright, I'll ask Ellie to find some champagne. I'm sure Father keeps some around here somewhere." Helen turned and left the room,, leaving Nikola and Kiri alone. Nikola turned a questioning gaze towards the younger girl.

"Do you really not know anyone else?" he asked. Kiri shrugged.

"Well, there are a few other people. My employer and her friends, James, a few of the other professors and students at Oxford, some of the shop owners. But you two are my only friends," she told him, smiling at him. Helen walked in at that moment, holding out a bottle of champagne and three champagne flutes.

"We found it," she announced, smiling at Kiri and Nikola. "It's only nine, so we still have a couple of hours. What do you want to do?"

"When I was growing up, my mother and I used to sit in front of the fire and tell stories about things that had happened in the last year, and things we hoped to have happen in the next year," Kiri remarked. Helen looked thoughtful for a moment, then nodded.

"Alright, that sounds like fun." She led the way over to the rug in front of the fire, and the three friends sat in a tight semi-circle. They spent the next couple of hours exchanging stories about the past year. At eleven fifty-eight, Helen poured them all champagne, and they prepared to usher in the New Year. At midnight, they cheered and clinked their glasses, and Helen turned to Nikola and pulled him into a chaste kiss.

"Srećna Nova godina," she whispered, grinning. Nikola grinned in return, trying to fight back the blush that had crept up when Helen had kissed him.

"Where did you learn that?" he asked, furrowing his brow.

"Kiri's been teaching me," Helen replied, indicating their friend, who was standing a few feet away. "Did I say it right?"

"You said it perfectly," Nikola told her, smiling. "Sestrice, you must be a very good teacher." Kiri blushed slightly at the complement, looking at her feet.

"I had a good student," she responded after several seconds. They only stayed up for about half-an-hour after that before they all retired to their rooms.

The next day, Gregory spent most of the day asleep, and Kiri was helping Ellie with the cleaning, since most of the other servants had the day off. Nikola and Helen spent the day in the living room, reading or talking or sometimes just watching the fireplace together.

The rest of their vacation went by rather quickly, until there was only three days left until school started back up again. The three of them had decided to spend the day in the park; Nikola and Helen walking along the paths enjoying the scenery and each other's company while Kiri stayed in the center of the park making a snowman with some children who were there with their parents. Kiri had told them not to worry about her, that building snowmen with the children in the park was one of her favorite past times in the winter.

Nikola led Helen down a path and into the center of a grove of evergreens, and they stood together for what felt like hours, although it was probably just a few minutes. The snow was falling in large flakes around them, turning everything, including them, a soft white. Helen turned around, gazing around at the snow-globe-like scene around them.

"Oh Nikola, it's beautiful," she whispered, her eyes wide as she turned to face him. Nikola smiled slightly, looking around.

"Yes, it is," he responded after a while, turning back to look at her with such intensity that she shivered slightly. Before either of them could say anything more, a large weight suddenly jumped on Nikola's back, nearly knocking him over.

"I've been looking for you two," Kiri exclaimed, wrapping her arms around Nikola's neck and resting her chin on his shoulder.

"Kiri, could you maybe get down?" Nikola asked, cocking an eyebrow at her. Kiri pouted but let go and dropped to the ground, grinning.

"The children had to go home and I was bored," she remarked, glancing up at the trees around them. "I guess their parents don't appreciate them playing with a servant." She shrugged and plopped down into the snow at her feet, idly making a snowball. Nikola and Helen sat down next to her, watching her quietly.

"Do you want to go back to my house and have some hot chocolate?" Helen inquired after a few minutes of silence. Kiri instantly perked up, her eyes wide.

"Could we? Would your father be okay with that?" she questioned excitedly. Helen laughed, nodding.

"Of course. He wouldn't mind at all. Come on." Helen stood, Nikola and Kiri following suit, and soon they were in Helen's living room, sipping hot chocolate and talking quietly. They went to bed early that night, and the next day Kiri and Nikola left Helen's house to return to their own homes. Kiri left before Nikola, claiming that she had to hurry home so she could speak with her employer. Nikola and Helen exchanged a quick hug in private before he left as well. Classes started again that Monday, and once again Nikola and Helen had essentially the same schedule. They weren't in any of the same classes, but they ended at the same time each day, allowing them to continue the study group. Kiri flitted in and out of their classrooms, and they could never really pinpoint exactly what it was she was doing in each.

**Totally realized that when I first uploaded this I forgot to translate the Serbian for you guys.**

**Srećna Nova godina - Happy New Year  
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	6. Chapter 6

**New chapter. I don't think sent out an alert email for my last chapter, so just in case it didn't, chapter 5 is an actual chapter now, not just a note. And as for this chapter, I wasn't originally going to have anything for Kiri's birthday, but it's going to be important in the sequel to this fic (foreshadowing yay). Anyway, I've decided that I'm going to stop worrying about word count. I'm usually crazy obsessive about having each chapter be around the same length, and I'm going to stop doing that now. It really makes it more difficult for me. Sometimes, I have trouble going past 500 words, sometimes I end up at 2,000. So now you get to deal with that, instead of me having to deal with it. Anyway, enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I seriously think you'd have to be delusional to think anything but Kiri was mine.  
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It was sometime in February when Kiri came bouncing up to them, grinning widely. Nikola and Helen couldn't help but smile in return as the younger girl stopped in front of them.

"My employer has given me a week off from work," she announced, her eyes shining with excitement.

"Why?" Helen inquired curiously. Kiri cocked her head at them.

"Haven't I told you? Today's my birthday," she responded, grinning again.

"Is it really? How old are you?" asked Nikola.

"Sixteen." Kiri bowed slightly, then spun around as the sound of footsteps approached from behind.

"I hear today's your birthday, Kiri," James remarked as he walked over to them. Kiri nodded vigorously.

"Yup!" she exclaimed, bouncing. James ruffled her hair as he nodded in greeting to Nikola and Helen.

"How did you know?" Helen questioned, furrowing her brow.

"Gregory told me." He shrugged, noticing that Helen and Nikola both looked confused. "Gregory is friends with Kiri's employer." Kiri nodded next to him. The other two looked, if possible, even more confused, and Kiri giggled.

"You guys looked funny when you're confused," she remarked before turning as though to leave.

"Where are you going?" Nikola demanded, mocking anger.

"I have something I have to do. I'll see you guys tomorrow," Kiri threw over her shoulder as she skipped away. James smiled at Nikola and Helen before walking away, leaving them alone. Helen turned to Nikola.

"All this time, my Father's known who Kiri works for…" Helen commented quietly.

The next day, as soon as Kiri joined them at their usual bench, Helen and Nikola dragged her off to a nearby pub. They sat down at a table near the back, where James was already waiting for them. Helen paid for her lunch, and they spent a good hour or two just talking and laughing. Finally, after dessert, Nikola turned to Kiri, a serious expression on his face.

"Sestrice, we – James, Helen, and I – have something for you," he told her, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a small box, and Kiri opened the box curiously. Inside was a bracelet made of two silver bands woven together. In the middle, set between the two bands, was an amethyst, cut perfectly into the shape of a leaf. Kiri examined it, a grin spreading across her face. When she hugged Nikola, it was really more of a tackle, and she was grinning widely. Once she had pulled away from Nikola, she gave Helen and James the same treatment, her eyes shining with gratitude. Suddenly there was a deep chuckle from behind Nikola, and they all turned to see John Druitt standing directly behind him, a condescending look on his face as he watched Kiri. The younger girl backed away, moving to stand behind James's chair, placing him between herself and John.

"Why Kiri, don't tell me you're afraid of me?" John asked mockingly before turning to Helen. He bowed and took Helen's hand, kissing it lightly. Helen blushed faintly as John stood with a charming smile on his face. "As beautiful as always, Miss Magnus." Helen blushed even more, smiling at him.

"You flatter me, Mr. Druitt. And please, call me Helen," she responded. John nodded his head slightly.

"As you wish, Helen." He bowed to her and then turned to Nikola. "Mr. Tesla, I overheard the argument you had with that Professor the other day. It was quite…interesting." A condescending note entered his voice. Nikola ground his teeth, visibly tensing.

"Thank you, Mr. Druitt," he managed to say; gripping the arms of the chair he was sitting in so tightly his knuckles were turning white. Kiri walked over to stand next to him, cocking her head.

"Ah yes, the servant girl," John remarked, raising his eyebrows at her. Kiri bowed deeply, a small smile on her face.

"What can I do for you, m'lord?" she inquired politely.

"You could go do your job," John suggested scathingly. Kiri's smile slipped slightly, but she remained polite.

"My employer has given me time off, m'lord," she told him, ducking her head. John cocked one eyebrow before turning back to Helen.

"My apologies, Helen, I must leave now. I shall speak to you again soon." With that, he bowed and left, ignoring the other three. Nikola glared at his back until he left the pub, then turned back to Helen.

"You mustn't let him get to you, Nikola. He's simply trying to rile you up," she told him, reaching out to place her hand over his in a placating gesture. Nikola scoffed, while Kiri sat back down and shoved a forkful of food into his now open mouth. Nikola choked and coughed, causing Kiri to giggle.

"You shouldn't leave your mouth open like that, Nika," she scolded. Nikola glared at her as he took a long drink. They left the pub soon after that, splitting up just outside. James walked Helen home, since he had business with her father, and Nikola and Kiri walked home, since they lived rather close to each other. As they were walking, Kiri suddenly spun around so she was in front of Nikola, blocking his path.

"Kiri, what are you doing?" Nikola demanded, cocking an eyebrow.

"I just wanted to tell you, that no matter how much charm Mr. Druitt has, you will always be the better man," answered Kiri, smiling. Nikola's face fell slightly, and he sighed.

"I just hope Helen sees that," he stated, looking away. Kiri reached out and put a hand on Nikola's elbow comfortingly.

"If she has any sense at all, she'll know you're better." She grinned at him, and he forced a smile in reply. Nikola remained silent for the rest of the walk, deep in thought as he watched Kiri greet everyone they passed with a grin. When they reached Kiri's small apartment, Nikola ruffled her hair.

"Thanks, Kiri," he said. Kiri just smiled at him as she turned and entered her home. Nikola remained lost in thought until he fell asleep that night.


	7. Chapter 7

**Look at me, I'm on a roll. Having this outlined is really helping for when I end up with writer's block. Nigel is introduced in this chapter (sort of). I'm a little hesitant about actually writing him, because I'm not quite sure what his personality is like. I've always thought of him as being a little bit like Peter Pettigrew, but then I watched "For King and Country" again and now I'm seeing him completely differently. So he probably won't have much of a part just because I'm having a lot of trouble writing him. Anyway, Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer  
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It wasn't long before Spring Break had come and gone and the school was preparing for finals and the end of the semester. James had joined their little study group, even though he was a senior and they were only sophomores, he enjoyed spending time with them. He was older than most of the other students, so they generally stayed away from him, but he and Kiri seemed to have some sort of history, and so Kiri had invited him to join their group. The four of them had moved to sit under a tree; the bench was too small since their group had expanded. Every once in a while, they would be joined by one of James's friends, a man named Nigel Griffin. He was a junior, and shared a few classes with James. He became one of them fairly quickly, and by the time finals were over he had become a regular in the group.

Once finals were over, Nikola, Helen, and Kiri got together one last time at Helen's house. Gregory had given them the house for the night, going out to stay with a friend. Nikola and Helen were sitting curled up on the couch together while Kiri sat on the rug in front of the fireplace with Ellie. At almost sixty, Ellie had become like a second mother to Kiri, encouraging her in her reading and writing, as well as offering her life advice, even when Kiri hadn't necessarily asked for it. Currently, Ellie was watching while Kiri practiced her writing.

"What are you two doing for the summer?" Nikola asked finally, glancing from Kiri to Helen.

"I'm helping my Father with his work over the summer," Helen told him, her eyes not leaving the fire. "We'll be gone for most of it; Father needs help with some things in Europe." She tightened her grip on Nikola's hand, as though sorry she was leaving.

"What about you, Kiri?" Nikola turned to face the other girl.

"My employer is going to help an old friend with something, and wants me to come. I'll be leaving in two days and I don't come back until just before the autumn semester begins. The good news is I'll be able to visit Smiljan again." Kiri smiled with excitement.

"You both need to make sure you send me letters while you're gone, alright," Nikola demanded, looking at Helen and Kiri with mock severity.

"Of course, Nika!" Kiri exclaimed from the rug, grinning. She held up the small chalkboard she was writing on to show them that she had written her name.

"Good job," Helen congratulated, smiling. Kiri's grin widened, even as Nikola scoffed.

"Your handwriting is atrocious, Sestrice," he remarked, causing Kiri to stick out her tongue. They spent the rest of the night and most of the next day just talking. Kiri had to leave sometime around midafternoon, needing to pack before she left. Nikola and Helen ended up falling asleep curled up together on the couch; Helen's head resting on Nikola's chest while Nikola had his arms wrapped around Helen tightly.

They were woken up by Kiri early the next morning; she had stopped by to say good-bye. She bounced into the room and stood directly in front of them, staring at them for almost five minutes, before taking in a breath.

"TIME TO WAKE UP!" she shouted. Nikola and Helen both jumped awake, looking around before locating the source of the noise. Kiri remained standing in front of them, grinning widely.

"Was that completely necessary?" Helen questioned, glaring at her friend tiredly.

"Yup. I don't have much time and I wanted to say good-bye before I left," answered Kiri, nodding. Helen stood and drew the younger girl into a rare hug, kissing the top of her head.

"Have fun, Kiri," she said, pulling away. Kiri smiled.

"I will. And I'll write to both of you," she promised. Nikola ruffled her hair affectionately.

"You'd better, sestrice," he ordered. Kiri nodded.

"Good-bye!" she called as she bounced away, waving over her shoulder. Nikola went back to his apartment soon after she left. He and Helen didn't see much of each other over the next week; Helen was much too busy with helping her father. One night, at around mid-night, almost two weeks after Kiri had left, Nikola heard a pounding on his door. Opening it, he found Helen standing outside in the pouring rain.

"Helen, what are you doing here?" he demanded, stepping aside to let her in. He hadn't even been aware that she knew where he lived. She had certainly never been there before.

"Father and I are leaving tomorrow, and I've only just managed to get away to come see you," Helen told him breathlessly. "I couldn't bear the thought of leaving without saying good-bye." Helen wrapped her arms around Nikola, burying her head in his chest and holding on tightly. Nikola chuckled softly as he returned the embrace.

"Surely you will be back in a few weeks. It's not like this is good-bye forever," he remarked gently. Helen shook her head.

"F-Father's work can sometimes be dangerous. I might be hurt." She tightened her grip, and Nikola pulled away slightly to look down at her.

"Helen, I find it difficult to believe that Gregory would allow you to be seriously injured. I'm sure we'll see each other again." He smiled reassuringly, reaching up to stroke some hair out of her face. He led her over to the second-hand couch sitting in what passed for the living room, sitting down next to her and pulling her close. They sat like that until just before dawn, when Helen stood again.

"I must be going. Father will be worried," she stated, her hands fiddling in front of her. Nikola stood as well, taking Helen's hand and bending down to pass his lips over her knuckles.

"Very well, Miss Magnus. But I would be remiss if I allowed you to walk home alone," he told her. Helen giggled and slapped his chest lightly.

"Stop that right now, Niko. I am perfectly capable of walking myself home." She nodded emphatically, and Nikola chuckled.

"Of course you are, Helen. But at least allow me to show you out." He took her hand again and walked her with exaggerated majesty, as though it was the most important task he'd ever had. When they were at the door, Helen turned to him, pulling him down to kiss him chastely, and when she pulled away, she was silent for a few seconds.

"Good-bye, Nikola," she finally said before disappearing out the door. Nikola sighed as he closed the door, returning to his couch to sit in silence.

**I don't often do these at the end, but I need your advice. The next chapter is about the summer, and I can't decide between coming right out and telling you guys what happens or having the next two chapters be letters from Helen and Kiri to Nikola (Helen's summer is kind of important, so I have to do something about it, and I just love writing Kiri, so having too many chapters without her doesn't seem right). Anyway, drop me a review or something to let me know what you think.**


	8. Chapter 8

__**I didn't receive any replies to my question at the end of my last chapter, so I went ahead and did the letter idea. Mostly because I wrote these and really like how they turned out. I'm not going to do Kiri's letters though, instead next chapter will be Nikola's replies to these, because that's what my muse wanted. Minku is introduced in this chapter, and she'll be coming up again later, so just keep her in mind. Anyway, Enjoy.  
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**Disclaimer.  
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_Nikola,_

_Father and I arrived late last night, and I wanted to write you a letter so you would know that I'm alright, we made it here safely. Father says I shouldn't tell anyone our exact location, but I can tell you we're in France. You would love it here, Niko. The country-side is absolutely beautiful, and I've rarely had better wine. Father thinks we'll be here for about two weeks before we move on, and I plan on writing you a letter for every day I'm here. Once we leave it might be harder, but I'll write as often as I can. I have to go now, Father is calling for me. I'll write again soon. _

_ Helen_

_Nikola,_

_I know I said I would write every day, but we found something! Father was so excited, he had us working so long and hard that by the time I had a free moment it was all I could do to make sure I fell asleep in my bed, and not on the ground somewhere. This means that we'll be leaving France earlier than we previously thought, and if all goes well, we'll be home earlier. That should excite you. I'm afraid I have to go now, it's my turn in the bath, and you have no idea how long I've been waiting to be clean again. Good-bye, Niko._

_ Helen_

_Nikola,_

_We arrived in Rome today. This is another place I think you would love. Maybe when we are older, you and I can visit these places together. I wonder if Kiri would enjoy that as well? James showed up today; he's mentioned that he works with Father, yes? Well, he was here when we arrived earlier. He says that he has been checking everything out for us, as well as doing some searching. Father says that the next location, in Austria, has someone doing the same. I wonder who that will be, but both Father and James are remaining silent on who it is. I have never seen Father and James together, but they seem to get on well, almost as though James is the son Father never had. It is good, I think, and yet I cannot help but wonder if I am not enough for Father. I often wonder if he wished I were a boy, even though he assures me that's not the case. _

_ Helen_

_Nikola,_

_James and Father have left me in the inn all day; apparently today's work is too dangerous for me. So here I am, writing you a letter. Fortunately, if they complete what they want to complete today, we will be moving on to Austria within the next couple of days. Father says that the work there will be less dangerous. He also told me that the person we are meeting is a woman who is sure to entertain me. I am unsure exactly what that means, but if this woman is Father's friend, then hopefully she is not as dull as many of the ladies I have had to spend time with. Most of those ladies only talk to me because my Father is rich; they cannot understand why I choose to attend classes while they are all looking for a husband. Father says this woman is educated though, so hopefully she will not be constantly twittering on about whose son she would like to marry and other such idle gossip. I briefly wondered if maybe this woman is Kiri's employer, but I received a letter from Kiri the other day saying that she was in Spain waiting for a ship to Greece, so I suppose that's unlikely. Have you received any letters from Kiri yet? I still don't know how she knows where to send the letters, I suppose perhaps Father is in communication with her employer; James did say they were friends. I must go now; I can hear Father and James returning. And yes, that does mean I have spent nearly all day writing this letter. Not all at once, of course, but yes, it took all day. _

_ Helen_

_Nikola,_

_James and my father were successful yesterday, so we're currently on a train on our way to Vienna. The view out the windows is beautiful, although Father and James seem more interested in their work than in the scenery. Apparently, they received correspondence from the woman in Vienna saying that this portion would be more difficult and more dangerous than the others, and Father has been pouring over old books ever since. It is growing ever more likely that this woman will be interesting. The missive she sent included a description of a cave she had explored, along with a complaint about the fact that she had to wear dresses while in town. I have never heard of a woman complaining about dresses, because to complain about them means that clearly she is used to wearing something else. Father told me that she reminds him of me sometimes, which I take to be a very good sign. _

_ Helen_

_Nikola,_

_I met the woman today. Her name is Minku, and my father was right. She is extremely interesting; she and I had the most wonderful conversation about biology over dinner. Apparently she had a private tutor while she was growing up. Father thought the work here would be too dangerous for me, but Minku insisted I help, for which I was very grateful. That is why I came, after all. Father and James spent the day in the city, meeting with some of their contacts (who knew they had contacts in Vienna) while Minku and I explored another cave. Father was reluctant to allow me to go, but I suppose he and Minku are old friends. Minku said that she's known him since he was quite young. We were unsuccessful today, but Father thinks he has a lead, and so hopefully tomorrow will provide better results. Good night, Niko._

_ Helen_

_Mr. Tesla,_

_By the time you get this letter, Helen and I will be back in London. Helen cannot write to you right now; when we're home I will be sending Ellie by to tell you. I have the feeling she will want to see you. Have a good day._

_ Gregory Magnus_


	9. Chapter 9

__**Three updates in one day, look at me go. These are Nikola's replies to Helen's letters. They're not as long, because I've never seen Nikola as much of a letter-writer. I think part of the reason I am being so prolific this week is because after tomorrow or Friday, I won't be able to update as much for a couple of weeks. I have like, 4 papers due, two presentations, and I have to pack up and move out of my dorm room. So I'll be busy busy busy. There will probably be more by tomorrow. I won't update again tonight, I don't want to overwhelm anyone. Enjoy. Let me know what you think, please. Reviews let me know that people actually like this, and sometimes I doubt myself.  
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**I wish I owned Nikola Tesla, both the real one and the Sanctuary one. But I don't. Nor do I own anyone else. Except Kiri. And Minku.  
><strong>

_Helen,_

_I was happy to hear you arrived safely. France has always interested me; I have heard great things about the wine. I'm afraid I won't have much to say about my time. While you are off gallivanting around Europe with your father, I am merely experimenting and biding my time until your next letter arrives. I am ever awaiting your return._

_ Nikola_

_Helen,_

_I am very glad to hear that you are finishing up in France early. I hope you will return early, though I will not raise my hopes too much; from what you've said your father's work is often unpredictable. I feel I should tell you that I came very close to blowing up my apartment yesterday. I knew there was a reason Kiri didn't want me cooking. I am okay, so you don't need to worry. There was nothing more than a puff of smoke and a spark. Ellie has been coming over to make my meals; it seems someone told her to check in on me occasionally. Thanks for that, Helen. Now everyone thinks I am incapable. I don't think I will ever live that down with Ellie._

_ Nikola_

_Helen,_

_With every letter you send me, I grow more envious of you. Rome sounds like a delightful place. I would enjoy a trip through Europe; as would Kiri, I think. I am glad to hear James is there with you. It is always pleasant to have a friend around. I can assure you that your father loves you. You are more than enough for him. The fact that he and James get on well does not mean your father prefers James over you, or even that he wishes you were a boy. He is happy that you are a strong, independent woman who will take the world by storm. Never forget that, Helen._

_ Nikola_

_Helen,_

_I am sorry you were left in the hotel all day; I wish I could have been there to entertain you. Although it seems I kept you entertained regardless. I receive letters from Kiri nearly every day. She seems to be having fun. I hope for both your sake and this woman's sake that she is not dull and boring. I have the feeling that you would rip her apart if she was. _

_ Nikola_

_Helen,_

_It is good to know things are going so well for you. Mr. Druitt stopped by today. He demanded that I tell him where you were, and I told him that you were in Europe. I was reluctant to tell him your exact location. I am sorry but I simply do not trust that man. I hope this woman turns out to be as interesting as you hope she is. She sounds like what Kiri used to be like when she was growing up. Good luck in Vienna._

_ Nikola_

_Helen,_

_Minku sounds like everything you'd hoped for. I am glad you had fun. I hope you are successful; I am beginning to miss you, Helen. Hurry home._

_ Nikola_

Nikola never sent his letters. They stood in a stack on his table, taunting him. He had written them, but he knew that they would never reach her before she moved on, and so they sat there. He thought that maybe he would give them to her in person when she returned, but he was nervous about how she would react to them. And there they sat.


	10. Chapter 10

**This is a little short, but this felt like a good place to stop. I'm not a huge fan of how this turned out, but my next chapter will be better, I promise. It's already mostly written out, and I really like it. Anyway, this chapter. Yeah, not a whole lot to say about it...I just felt the need to have some drama. Also some Nikola/Kiri sibling fluff at the end. I really love writing those two together. Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer.  
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When Nikola received Gregory's letter, he nearly went crazy with worry. He could only imagine what had happened to cause Helen's father to send him a letter. When Ellie came by three days after the letter had arrived, Nikola nearly bowled her over.

"Ellie, what happened? Is Helen alright?" he demanded, grabbing the older woman's hands. Ellie smiled reassuringly at him.

"Helen is going to be fine, Nikola. James and her father brought her home just this morning. I was sent to bring you back, so you can see her." Ellie was dragging Nikola out the door before he could even react, and soon they were at the Magnus residence. Ellie brought Nikola up to Helen's room, which was already very crowded. James and Gregory were standing on one side of the bed, and on the other side was a woman Nikola didn't recognize. She had long, golden-blonde hair and grey-blue eyes. She was taller than any women Nikola had ever seen, even taller than most men. She was dressed as a man, with a white dress shirt, dress pants, and dress shoes. She wore a leather belt with two pouches, a gun holster, and a knife sheath. Her hair was braided behind her, kept completely out of her face.

"You must be Mr. Tesla. I am Minku Shadori. Helen spoke very highly of you," the woman remarked, smiling and extending a hand. Nikola took it, looking unsure as to what she expected until she shook his hand, her smile widening.

"Yes, Helen told me about you in her letters," Nikola responded, smiling as well. It was only then that Nikola looked at the bed the others were surrounding. Helen was lying on the bed, a bandage around her head and another around her abdomen. Whether she was asleep or unconscious, Nikola couldn't tell, but she was looking more vulnerable than he had ever seen her. James followed his gaze and moved slightly closer to his friend, who was standing there in shock.

"There was an accident. The Doctors in Vienna think she'll be fine, but she hasn't woken up since," James told him quietly. Nikola swallowed with difficulty, his eyes not leaving Helen's face.

"Does Kiri know?" he finally asked. Minku nodded from behind him.

"I sent her employer a message before we left Vienna. They were in Smiljan at the time, so she shouldn't be too far behind me." Nikola nodded at the knowledge before moving to sit gently on the edge of the bed, taking Helen's hand. He spent most of the next few days with her, only leaving when Ellie or James dragged him away to sleep. Minku left two days after they had arrived, and Kiri showed up the next day. She, like Nikola, only left when someone dragged her away. Nigel drifted in and out a few times, and even John stopped in a few times. John would only stay for about half-an-hour and then leave. Nigel, on the other hand, would stay for hours, talking to James and Nikola and even including Kiri in those conversations that she could understand.

Helen finally woke up a week and three days after her return home. When she opened her eyes, it was to see Kiri asleep on her left while Nikola slept on her right. She raised a hand to her head, which was aching enormously. The movement was apparently enough to wake her two friends, as they both shot upwards at once, looking around in confusion.

"Helen!" they both exclaimed as one. Helen laughed softly at them, smiling.

"Hello. How long have I been asleep?" she inquired, glancing outside.

"From what James has told us, it's been about three weeks," answered Nikola, reaching out to take her hand.

"Minku wanted me to tell you that she's very sorry for what happened," Kiri said. Helen and Nikola both looked at her in surprise, and she shrugged. "Minku is good friends with my employer, so we spend a fair amount of time together."

"Your employer seems to know everyone," remarked Helen, raising an eyebrow. Kiri shrugged again, but offered no explanation. Instead, she stood and bounced out of the room, leaving Nikola and Helen to watch in confusion. She returned not long after, carrying a tray with tea and some toast for them to share, James following close behind her.

"Helen, it's so good to see you awake," he commented, standing at the foot of her bed.

"Thank you, James. I must say I will be happier when I am able to walk around again," replied Helen, smiling. Kiri moved to sit next to her on the king-sized bed, grinning.

"I'm sure you'll be up and walking in no time." Kiri assured her, patting Helen's legs. Nikola and James chuckled as they both nodded.

"Knowing you, you'll be trying to walk tomorrow," James added, joining Kiri on Helen's right.

"I doubt that," Helen protested, indicating her bandaged abdomen. Nikola reached out and gently stroked Helen's hair out of her face; the bandages on her head had been removed two days previously.

"Does it hurt much?" he questioned, the concern clear on his face.

"Only when I breathe," Helen joked, taking Nikola's hand. The four of them spent the rest of the day talking quietly, and were joined at one point by Nigel. Helen tried to kick them all out when she wanted to go to sleep, but Nikola and Kiri flat-out refused to leave her side, and eventually gave in. The two of them remained silent, allowing Helen to sleep. After she had been sleeping for about an hour, Kiri moved to sit next to Nikola, leaning into him.

"I'm scared, Nika. I want her to get better," she whispered. Nikola wrapped an arm around her comfortingly.

"She'll be healthy in no time, sestrice. Don't worry," he assured her quietly. Kiri made a worried sound as she shifted so her head was resting on Nikola's chest. She soon fell asleep, comforted by Nikola's presence.


	11. Chapter 11

**treba da je poljubi , velikog brata – you should kiss her, big brother**

**onda bi trebalo da napuste – then you should leave**

**veoma dobro – very well**

**I'm still experimenting with where to put the translations, so let me know what you'd prefer. Anyway, I think you guys will like the end of this. Some nice Teslen fluff for everyone. Unfortunately, this is where it all starts to go downhill (uh-oh). Some nice Kiri/Nikola sibling time too. If any of you can figure out who they're talking about, I'll send Tesla over to cause chaos in your house.  
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**Normal Disclaimer. I only own Kiri. She does my bidding.  
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Helen had just begun walking around again two days before classes started, so when she returned to school, Kiri stuck close by, helping Helen carry books, get up and down stairs, and sometimes even just stand up. The official story was that Helen had fallen off a horse onto some rocks. As the only two who knew where Helen had been, Nikola and Kiri were told that Helen had fallen off a rope in the cave. Neither of them asked what she had been doing in the cave. For them, the fact that she was safe and healthy seemed to be enough. John had joined their study group, and they moved to an empty lab to accommodate their increased numbers. John still treated Kiri as nothing more than a servant, often asking her to do things just to prove he could. Kiri did them all, without complaint, though her personality around the group became more subdued. This was something Nikola noticed almost immediately, and worried about until one Sunday in November, when Helen invited just Nikola and Kiri over. It was the first time the three of them were spending time together without the other three since school had started, and Nikola was not going to waste it.

"Kiri, are you alright?" he asked almost as soon as they were all settled. Kiri looked at him with surprise written plainly across her face.

"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?" she countered, cocking her head.

"You been unusually quiet lately," Nikola elaborated.

"I have noticed that," Helen added, furrowing her brow at Kiri.

"Mr. Druitt does not like it when I speak around him," she told them, shrugging. "And I do not wish to offend anyone."

"Kiri, you shouldn't allow John to dictate what you do," Helen remarked, reaching out to place her hand on Kiri's arm. Kiri shrugged again.

"I really don't mind," she whispered. Before Helen or Nikola could say anything, Kiri stood and wandered away, leaving the room silently. Helen turned to Nikola, puzzled.

"What did-" she started to say. Nikola turned away from the door, which he had been watching with a slightly knowing expression on his face.

"Kiri has been having a lot of trouble with the students this year." He stood as well, heading in the direction Kiri had disappeared in. "I'm going to go talk to her." He disappeared as well, leaving Helen to watch in silence. Ellie walked in a few moments later, moving to sit next to her mistress.

"Is something wrong?" she questioned gently.

"I feel like I'm losing my best friends, Ellie. They hardly even speak to me anymore," Helen admitted, twisting her hands together nervously. Ellie placed one hand over hers, steadying her movements.

"Forgive me if this sounds to bold, m'lady, but perhaps it is you who hardly ever speak to them," she suggested gently. Helen looked at her in surprise, though her expression soon turned thoughtful.

Meanwhile, Nikola found Kiri sitting on the stairs, absently rubbing her right arm. He sat down next to her, sitting silently for a few minutes.

"He grabbed me again today," she whispered, leaning her head against Nikola's shoulder. He wrapped an arm around her, making sure to avoid the area that she had been rubbing.

"Are you going to tell her?" he inquired gently.

"No. He's not a bad person; he's only doing what he was taught to do. I have a relatively nice life as a servant." Kiri smiled reassuringly up at Nikola, who frowned in return.

"He's hurting you, Kiri. And Helen's our friend, she deserves to know."

"Nika, really, I don't want to worry her with this." Kiri stood and took a few steps away, folding her arms across her chest in a defensive position.

"Kiri, if I hadn't been there to see him do it, would you have told me?" Nikola remained seating, resting his elbows on his knees as he leaned forward. Kiri turned slightly, so she was only half facing him.

"No. I knew you would worry. And really, it's nothing too bad. I had a friend once who was beat half-to-death on a regular basis. All he does is grab me and shake me sometimes." Nikola finally stood to stand next to Kiri, gently rolling up the sleeve on her right arm. On her upper arm, plain as day, was a hand-shaped bruise, and the skin around it was clearly tender. Nikola bent down and gently kissed the area.

"Come on, sestrice. We should return to Helen," he suggested quietly, taking Kiri's hand. The two of them walked back into the living room, where Helen was sitting watching the fire, clearly deep in thought. Kiri dropped Nikola's hand and bounced over to her, grinning.

"Helen, I was wondering if you could teach me some biology today. Nika's been teaching me mathematics, but he said you're better at biology than he is." She took Helen's hand, looking at her with pleading eyes.

"Of course I will, Kiri. We can start on Monday." Helen smiled at the younger girl, although she still looked like her mind was elsewhere. Kiri smiled in reply, before turning to Nikola.

"Treba da je poljubi , velikog brata," she said to him.

"Onda bi trebalo da napuste, sestrice," Nikola responded, glaring at her.

"Veoma dobro." Kiri turned and left, leaving Helen and Nikola alone together. Helen watched her go for a few seconds, until she realized that Nikola had moved closer. He reached up and gently stroked Helen's face, and her breath hitched.

"Nikola, wha-" She was cut off for a second time that night, this time by the gentle press of Nikola's lips against hers. This was the third time they'd kissed, but whereas the other two had simply been kisses between two friends, this one was something more. Nikola gently moved his lips, coaxing her to do the same until they were locked in a kiss that was somehow chaste and yet not at the same time. Nikola's hands were resting on her waist, and her hands went up to rest against his chest. The kiss lasted until they were both out of breath, and when they finally pulled away, Nikola rested his forehead on hers as they caught their breaths.

"What was that for?" Helen questioned after a few seconds.

"I-I love you, Helen," Nikola whispered, kissing her nose gently. Helen closed her eyes.

"I love you too, Niko. But you're going to have to talk to my Father." She took a deep breath and took a reluctant step backwards, putting a socially acceptable distance between them.

"When does he get back?" Nikola tried to hide the eagerness and relief in his voice, though he suspected he failed miserably.

"Just before Christmas." Helen smiled, pulling Nikola back for one last hug.


	12. Chapter 12

**New Chapter. Yay :) A lot happens this chapter. I'm gonna have to talk about it at the end. Hope you enjoy.**

**Disclaimer I own only Kiri. And Minku. And now Shadow.  
><strong>

For Christmas vacation, Gregory invited the entire study group to spend the time in the "Magnus Mansion", as they had come to call it. Nikola and Kiri inhabited the same rooms they had been in the previous Christmas. James was set up in a room next to Kiri's, with Nigel on his other side and John across the hall from him. Christmas passed much the same as the year before, as did New Year's Eve. Gregory gave them the house again, and they celebrated in the living room. Kiri stayed in the kitchen with Ellie; John had insisted that he would not celebrate with servants in the room. Two days later, Nikola went up to Gregory's office, where he found the door closed and the sounds of John's voice drifting out into the hallway. Nikola leaned against the opposite wall, waiting nervously for Gregory to be free. John left, shooting Nikola a dirty look as he went, and Nikola stepped forward.

"Mr. Magnus, could I speak with you?" he asked, peeking into the room. Gregory glanced up from his desk, which was covered with papers and maps.

"Nikola, how many times must I ask you to refer to me as Gregory? Heaven knows you're here often enough." He stood and walked over to the younger man extending a hand.

"I apologize, G-Gregory." Nikola shook his hand and followed him in, taking the offered seat across from him.

"What can I do for you, son?"

"I would like to request permission to court your daughter." Nikola stared at his hands while he spoke, twisting them together nervously. He had never felt this nervous before, but then he had never asked this kind of question before. Gregory folded his hands on his desk, regarding Nikola silently for a few moments. The longer he watched Nikola, the more nervous Nikola grew, until it was all he could do to keep from shifting in his seat.

"There must be something in the air today. Mr. Druitt was in here not ten minutes ago asking the same question," he finally remarked, leaning back. Nikola tried to hide his surprise and distaste, though judging by Gregory's raised eyebrow, he didn't succeed much.

"I-I apologize, sir," Nikola said, hands moving to grip the arms of the chair he was sitting in.

"Relax, son. I don't bite." Gregory chuckled. "I will tell you the same thing I told him. I am not quite ready to give up my only daughter just yet. I will need some time to decide if I even want her to get married yet." Nikola nodded, gulping.

"Thank you for your consideration, sir." He stood to leave, and went downstairs to where Helen and Kiri were sitting together reading. Both women looked up as he entered.

"How did it go, Nika?" Kiri questioned, cocking her head. Nikola gave her a look, then turned to Helen.

"Did you tell her?" he demanded, indicating Kiri.

"I figured it out. The only other time you've gone alone to Gregory's office was when Helen had been injured. Why else would you be up there?" Kiri grinned at him.

"Well? What did he say?" Helen inquired, standing and walking over to take Nikola's hands.

"He said he needs to think about it. Apparently he's not ready to give you up just yet." Nikola kissed her forehead, pulling her in for a hug. Kiri bounced over to stand a few feet away from them, still grinning.

"Gregory is a smart man. I'm sure he knows you make Helen happy," she assured him. Nikola and Helen both smiled at her, and both extended arms, inviting her in to join their hug. Ten minutes later, the three of them were sitting on the couch close together, reading, and talking quietly. Gregory walked in, followed closely by James, John, and Nigel.

"Helen, Nikola, Kiri," he greeted, nodding at them all. "I have decided, and Helen and James agree, that the rest of you are ready to learn about our work." Kiri jumped up, bouncing over to stand in front of Gregory.

"Gregory, my employer did not mention this," she told him, her eyes wide.

"I asked that she keep it a secret, we wished to surprise you." Gregory smiled at her and then turned to Nikola, John, and Nigel. "Are you three ready?" The three men nodded, and Gregory led the way out of the room and down a hallway to a locked steel door. He slid open a panel on the wall and pulled a lever, causing the door to rise into the ceiling. The group passed through the doorway and down a long hallway with no doors or windows. At the end of the hallway was a second steel door, which was opened in the same way. Inside was a large, multi-story room. On each story was a set of large cages, separated from the room by large, thick glass panels. Gregory led the way to the first cage, turning a knob which brought the gas lamps to life. There were gasps from Nigel, Nikola, and John, while Kiri let out a small squeak.

"It's so cute!" she exclaimed, moving towards the glass. Inside was a creature which had the head of an eagle and the body of a lion. The feathers on its head were a sleek black, and its fur was golden. A pair of large, black wings sprouted from its back. As Kiri moved forward, it cocked its head, clacking its beak.

"What is it?" Nikola questioned, a mix between fear and awe in his voice.

"He's a griffin. He is what we went to Austria for over the summer," Helen told him, walking forward to stand next to Kiri.

"Does he have a name?" Kiri asked, turning to the older woman.

"We call him Shadow." Helen turned to face the others, an expectant look on her face. "Well? What do you think?"

"This is…amazing," Nikola said slowly, moving forward to the glass. Nigel was the next to move forward, albeit slowly. There was fear in his eyes, and he didn't move as close as the other two. John was the last to do anything, and he moved forward confidently, standing just inches from the glass.

"Is this a genetic mutation?" he inquired.

"We believe all the creatures in here are the result of genetic mutations," Gregory told him, sweeping his arm to indicate the rest of the room. Kiri took Nikola's hand and together they walked around the room, looking at all the different creatures. The others heard periodic cries of delight from Kiri as she took in each creature, and Nikola gazed at it all in wonder. Meanwhile, John and Nigel hung back to talk to Helen and James.

"So how long have you two been doing this?" Nigel questioned, glancing around.

"I've been doing this for as long as I can remember," Helen told him, shrugging.

"Helen wandered down here when she was three. After that I didn't quite see the point of hiding it," added Gregory, draping an arm across his daughter's shoulders.

"Gregory brought me in my freshman year at Oxford. I…interrupted a local search of his," James said, smiling at the memory. Gregory left shortly after that, and the six of them spent the rest of the day in that room, taking in everything. Kiri spent her time learning the names of all the creatures, while Nikola walked next to her, chuckling at her and examining the creatures, trying to learn as much as possible. John and Nigel stayed with Helen and James, discussing the genetics of the creatures.

**So yeah, Nikola and John have both asked Gregory for permission to court Helen, and they've all met the abnormals. The reason why Kiri wasn't at all surprised will be explained later (Around the same time I explain who her employer is and everything else you've ever wanted to know about her). Which may or may not actually happen in this fic, it might happen in the sequel or the sequel-sequel. I haven't decided yet.**


	13. Chapter 13

**This chapter is crazy short, but I really liked where it ends. And I already have most of the next chapter written in my head, so it should be up later tonight. Consider that compensation for this one being so short. I also split them because this one is really kind of sad, and you're all going to hate me for it, but it had to happen, and it paves the way for Nikola/ Kiri fluff next chapter. We're over half-way done with this fic at this point, just a year and a half or so left to get through, plus a possible scene for when they find out John is Jack the Ripper. I haven't decided on that yet. Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer.  
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The next day Kiri left on a job for her employer, saying she would most likely be gone for a couple of months. Classes started again not long after that, and the study group continued to meet. At this point, however, half of them were graduated or about to graduate, and Nikola and Helen, the only two who would still be in school the next year, rarely needed help. As such, the group spent more time experimenting, mostly on the blood of the creatures living in the Magnus house. Things seemed to be going well for them, until one day in early February, when Nikola was almost an hour late to their meeting. When he finally did walk in, there was an angry look on his face.

"Niko, what's wrong?" Helen questioned immediately, walking over to him.

"Someone has told the administrators about my gambling habit," Nikola began, his voice tightening. "Whoever it is has also told the administrators that I have been having relations with girls on campus, which is a lie. They're reviewing my case now, and if they decide this is all true, there's a good chance they will expel me." Nikola kept his eyes on Helen as he spoke, not wanting the others to see the emotions on his face. Helen drew him into a hug, not caring about how improper it may be, and held him there.

"I am certain they will realize it isn't true," she assured him quietly. James walked over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Nikola, you are one of their best students. There is no doubt they will realize this and let you stay," he added, smiling. Nikola smiled at the both of them, before walking around them and walking to the lab table he'd been working at for the last week or so. By the following Monday, Nikola had been informed by the University that, due his inability to prove the falsity of the allegations, they were regrettably forced to expel him. This letter was almost immediately followed by a letter from Gregory, asking him to meet the older man at the Magnus house that night. Nikola walked home with Helen, remaining silent. Helen was worried about him, but she knew that he had been having a rough time recently. He went immediately to Gregory's office, where the man was waiting for him patiently.

"Mr. Tesla, it has come to my attention that you have been expelled," he remarked as soon as Nikola was seated.

"Y-yes sir. I received the letter just this morning," Nikola confirmed, tensing.

"Unfortunately, the accusations made will leave a permanent taint on your name. This is not something I want for my daughter. I am sorry, but I will not be granting you permission to court her." Gregory leaned back in his chair, watching Nikola as his face fell.

"V-very well, sir. Thank you for your consideration." Nikola stood and left, disappearing from the house without even so much as looking at Helen. He didn't tell anyone what had happened, and he didn't return to the study group for the rest of that week.

_Kiri,_

_I haven't told any of the others this, but I thought you should know. I've been expelled from Oxford. Someone started a rumor that I was having intimate relations with other students, and the school found out about my gambling. Those two things together were more than enough for the school to expel me. To add to that, Gregory has denied me permission for courting Helen. I could very much use someone to talk to. I cannot talk to Helen about this, she would try to argue with her Father, and I don't want to come between them. I've never really been close to the other students, so it would be very nice if you would come back. I need my little sister, now more than ever._

_ Nikola_


	14. Chapter 14

**I told you I'd have another new chapter up tonight, in quick succession because I honestly thought I'd already posted the last one and then realized I hadn't... This one went fairly quickly anyway, since I already had it pretty much written in my head. Some cute Nikola/ Kiri fluff and Helen/ Kiri fluff (which we have not had enough of, but they are best friends). Translations at the bottom. Thanks to NCIS She-demon for the advice, and this probably wouldn't have been done so soon without her. Enjoy**

**Disclaimer**

Kiri read the letter a third time as she got off the train and started the walk to the lab where the study group met. Ever since she had received the letter a little over a week ago, she had been worried about Nikola. She had no idea if he would be in the lab or not, but she had promised Helen and James that she would meet them there when she arrived. About half-an-hour after she had left the train station, she opened the door to the lab quietly. Five pairs of eyes met hers, and three smiles broke out. John never smiled at her, and whatever Nikola was doing could not be classified as a smile.

"Kiri, you're back. How was your trip?" Helen asked, moving to give the younger girl a hug. Kiri grinned.

"It was amazing. India was beautiful, and I managed to do what I was told. I'm glad to be home though." Kiri glanced over at Nikola, who was now looking down at his beakers. Kiri grinned at James, who shook her hand.

"Welcome back. Gregory wants to talk to you, by the way," he informed her. Kiri nodded.

"I know. I got his letter just before leaving India. I'll be stopping by tonight." She moved past those two to throw Nigel a grin, and he smiled back. The two of them weren't quite friends, but they had bonded over Christmas and were a little more than acquaintances at this point. As she passed John she curtsied, as she knew he preferred, and then finally reached Nikola. Before anyone could register what she was doing, she had thrown herself at him, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug.

"Nika, I got your letter," she whispered in his ear before dropping back to the floor and turning to grin at everyone. "Now that I've said hello to everyone, you five should go back to doing what you were doing. I don't want to distract you." With that, she went to a pile of dirty beakers next to the dish water and began cleaning them. Another half hour passed in relative silence until there was a crash and Kiri turned in time to see Nikola storming out.

"Niko!" Helen called, moving to follow him.

"Helen, I'll go talk to him. He had something he wanted to talk to me about anyway," Kiri told her, beating her to the door. The smaller woman followed Nikola outside, finding him under the tree the study group had used as a meeting spot the previous autumn. She sat down next to him, sitting there silently for a few minutes before noticing that he was holding his folded glove against the palm of his right hand.

"Nika, you'll ruin your glove. And that's your only pair," she exclaimed, taking his hand gently in her own and pulling the glove away.

"Why does it matter? I'll probably have to leave for Serbia by next week anyway," Nikola snapped, though he let Kiri continue her ministrations on his cut. She had pulled out a small canteen and had poured some water over his hand to clean it, and was now wrapping it with a bandage.

"Why would you have to leave?" she asked quietly.

"I was only able to stay here because someone has been paying for the apartment. But now that I've been expelled, I doubt they'll continue doing that." Nikola looked down at his now bandaged hand, furrowing his brow. "What were you even doing with a canteen and bandages?" Kiri shrugged.

"I came straight from the train station, and I always travel with bandages and a canteen." She moved closer to him and rested her head on his chest. "I'm sure it'll all turn out alright, Nika. It might not seem like it now, but sometimes we need pain in order to appreciate pleasure, and we need sadness in order to appreciate happiness." She smiled up at him.

"Where did you come up with that?" Nikola looked down at her, a hint of his usual light-hearted teasing coming through.

"I spent some time with some philosophers in India. They had all sorts of strange sayings like that." Kiri snuggled closer to Nikola, staring out across the grounds. "Ne želim da odem, velikog brata."

"Mene bilo, sestrice." Nikola held his 'sister' more tightly, and they sat like that for almost an hour before Helen came out and found them.

"Kiri, do you want to walk home with me tonight?" she questioned, smiling down at the pair. Kiri turned to Nikola, who nodded, then extracted herself from his hold and stood next to Helen.

"I would love to," she exclaimed, grinning.

"Good night, Nikola," Helen called as they began walking away. During the carriage ride, Helen kept her eyes on the floor, looking slightly guilty.

"Is something wrong?" Kiri finally inquired, cocking her head.

"Have I been ignoring you and Nikola?" Helen met Kiri's eyes slowly. Kiri grinned at her.

"Of course not. You have been busy, and so we do not spend as much time together as we used to. But I don't think you're ignoring us."

"Do you know why Nikola has been so upset recently?"

"Isn't that something you should be asking him?" By now, the carriage had stopped, and Kiri hopped out, walking towards the house. She went straight to Gregory's office, leaving Helen alone in the living room. Kiri walked back down half an hour later, and she plopped down on the couch next to Helen.

"Helen, really, just talk to Nikola. That's all he wants. Gregory says he informed you of his decision," she told Helen, patting her leg.

"Yes. He did. I-I want to talk to Nikola about it, but he hardly even looks at me anymore. I don't know what to do." Helen leaned her head on Kiri's shoulder and stared at the fire.

"He is probably trying to be careful around the others, so that they don't think he is challenging your father's decision. Get him alone and talk to him. He does have his pride." Kiri rested her head on top of Helen's, and the two woman were soon asleep.

**Ne želim da odem, velikog brata - I don't want you to leave, Big Brother**

**mene bilo – Me either**


	15. Chapter 15

**Yay, new chapter, happy day. I know I've been saying I didn't think I'd get another chapter done until tomorrow night, but then I wrote this when I should have been working on my paper. Oh well. Anyway, this chapter is rather depressing. There is sadness and anger, and Kiri punches someone in the face. Yippie. Now I need to go actually write my paper. Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer  
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The next day, Kiri was late to the study group, and when she walked in she threw a glare at John before moving to stand next to Helen.

"Nikola said he won't be coming anymore. He wanted me to tell you that he's been officially expelled, and so there is no reason for him to keep coming," she told the group. With that, Kiri left, leaving the other four to stand there in stunned silence. The only one who didn't look surprised was John, who was smirking as he turned back to his experiment. Helen made a move to follow Kiri, but James caught her arm.

"Wait. Give them some time," he instructed, pulling her back.

"But you don't understand, James." Her voice dropped to an almost silent whisper. "Father picked John." Realization dawned on James's face, and he let her go. Helen made the short journey to Nikola's apartment, where she walked in to find Nikola and Kiri sitting on the couch together. Nikola was reading a letter while Kiri read one of his old physics textbooks.

"Nikola?" Helen walked farther into the room, until she was standing just a few feet away from him. He jumped up, surprise on his face.

"Helen! What are you doing here?" He glanced down at Kiri as though she would know, but the sixteen-year-old just shrugged.

"Kiri told us you weren't coming, and I wanted to talk to you. Why aren't you coming back?" Her hands fisted at her side, and she glared at him. Nikola took a deep breath before turning to Kiri.

"Could you give us some time, sestrice?"

"Of course. I'll be in my room." Kiri stood and bounced away down a hallway. Helen looked on in confusion.

"Since when has Kiri had a room here?"

"I was only able to keep this apartment due to contributions from a benefactor. Now that I have been expelled, I doubt this benefactor will continue paying, so Kiri agreed to move in to help with the rent."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Helen moved towards Nikola, who took a step back. A look of hurt crossed Helen's face as she backed up as well.

"I did not see a need." Nikola turned away, his entire body tense.

"I am your friend, Nikola. I should know when you're having trouble." Helen moved closer again, tentatively placing a hand on Nikola's shoulder. He shrugged her off, moving to place the table between them.

"Why are you here, Helen?"

"I wanted to know why you aren't coming to the lab today." Nikola's continued coldness was making Helen angry, and she walked away from him, crossing her arms in annoyance.

"I've been expelled! There's no reason for me to go our little study group anymore."

"And what about James and Nigel? What about me?" At the despair in her voice, Nikola turned, and Helen could see that he was trying to mask his emotions. Already, a solitary tear was winding its way down his face.

"Your father has made it clear he doesn't want my name tainting yours."

"And what about what I want? Do you think I _wanted_ Father to pick John over you?"

"I don't see you rejecting him."

"Please, I have lost my love. Don't make me lose my friend." Tears were beginning to spill out of Helen's eyes now, and she was gripping onto the back of the couch like it was her lifeline. As she stood there, she could remember the first time she'd been in his apartment, almost a year ago. They'd been so happy then. It was hard for her to believe it all could have gone south so quickly. She was snapped out of her reverie by a gentle hand on her face, wiping away the tears.

"I will always love you, Helen. Even if you marry and have children with him, I will always hold you in my heart." His eyes conveyed the sincerity of his words and for a second Helen wanted nothing more than to kiss him. Instead, she pulled away, her eyes full of venom.

"Stop this, Nikola. We can never be, so don't entertain these foolish notions." With that, she left, leaving Nikola looking even more broken than before. He slumped down on the couch, and Kiri wandered out of her room to stand over him.

"Nika, I have to go. Will you be alright?" She asked gently, her eyes apologetic.

"I'll be fine, Kiri. Don't be gone too long though. And be careful." Nikola sat up to watch as she pulled on her boots and coat. She rolled her eyes as she left.

"I know, I know. I'll be back before dark, don't worry." She closed the door and made her way back to the lab, where she knew the study group would be just finishing up. Standing out of view of the door, she listened as she heard James and Nigel leave together, John closely following. Kiri walked out of the shadows, standing in front of the three men. She noticed Helen wasn't with them, and smiled.

"Kiri, what are you doing here?" James questioned. Kiri ignored him and moved closer to John.

"I'm sure Mr. Druitt knows." Without warning, she swung, punching John directly in the nose. There was a sickening crunch, and John's hands went to his face.

"What the hell did you do that for?" Nigel took a step towards John, but James reached out to stop him.

"Kiri, what aren't you telling us?"

"He's the one who told the administrators about Nikola's gambling, and the lie about having relations with women," Kiri snarled, moving as though to punch the taller man again. James grabbed her, pulling her back.

"I understand that this is bad, but that was weeks ago. Why are you just attacking him now?" he asked while Nigel went to make sure John didn't try anything.

"Helen and Nikola had a fight, because Nikola's not coming to the lab and he's upset that Gregory picked John and Helen's upset that Nikola is upset and they were yelling and-" Kiri was at this point close to hyperventilating, and James pulled her into a hug.

"It's going to be alright, Kiri. Why don't you go talk to Helen, and I'll talk to Nikola. We'll see if we can get this sorted out, alright?" He looked down at Kiri, who nodded as she tried to fight back tears.

"Nikola's at home," she said. James gave her a squeeze, and they split up, Kiri heading towards the park, where she knew Helen liked to go to think.


	16. Chapter 16

**It occurs to me as I post this that I should really stop posting chapters as soon as I finish them, but I just can't wait to share them with you guys. Although this does mean that if I ever get stuck you guys will just have to deal with it until I get unstuck, but I'm actually doing pretty well with it right now. And it's officially my longest fic. Anyway, definitely the last chapter for tonight, if I finish another one (which is likely, it's already written in my head), I'll save it for tomorrow. Well, enjoy. More violence in this one. I just can't get enough of people punching each other, apparently. And, Nikola might be a little OOC, but please remember he is very drunk right now. Anyway, they'll officially become The Five in the next chapter, so look forward to that. Also, Gregory makes an appearance. Enjoy.  
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**Disclaimer  
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When James arrived at Nikola's apartment, the Serbian was clearly drunk. There was an empty bottle of wine on the floor next to him, and he was holding another, which was half-empty. He was sitting on the couch, staring at the fire, which was barely more than embers. James sat down next to him, remaining silent for a few minutes.

"What do you want?" Nikola finally hissed, breaking the silence.

"Kiri told Nigel and me about the fight, after she punched John in the nose." James chuckled faintly at the memory.

"Why would she do that?" Nikola sounded completely apathetic, though James knew that probably had something to do with the bottle-and-a-half of wine he'd gone through that night.

"Possibly because she blamed him for the fact that her two best friends had the biggest fight they've ever had," James suggested, cocking an eyebrow.

"We didn't have a _fight_. We had a minor disagreement," Nikola slurred, pointing his hand at James. He took a large gulp of wine before leaning back and staring at the ceiling.

"And what, pray tell, was this 'minor disagreement' about?"

"Helen wants to act like I don't still love her. But how can I do that? I can't just _stop_ loving her. It doesn't work like that. It's as if she never really loved me." Nikola's voice faded and he drank some more wine. James reached out and took the wine, pressing a hand to Nikola's chest as the younger man tried to follow the drink.

"I think that's quite enough wine for one night. Now, tell me exactly what happened." James hated taking advantage of his friend like this, which he was definitely doing by interrogating him while he was drunk, but Nikola was so stubborn he would never tell James anything sober.

"I was expelled. And then Gregory decided my name was tainted, because of the rumors that I've had sex with women. And even though that's a lie. I never had sex with anyone. And he's used a rumor as the basis for telling me I'm not good enough for his daughter." Nikola reached down grumpily to pick up the empty wine bottle, staring into it with an intensity that suggested he was waiting for more wine to magically appear.

"What happened with Helen?"

"I couldn't face being at the lab. I tried, yesterday, but then I shattered that beaker and then I realized it was no use, I can't get anything done when I'm in the same room with that man. And so I decided not to go. But then Helen came here, sounding like I was avoiding her. And then she suggested that she still loved me, only to tell me I am a fool for still loving her. And she seemed to assume I was no longer her friend. And she called me a fool and then left, right after I had told her I will always love her!"

"Nikola, have you even stopped to consider how Helen feels about all this? Her best friend and closest companion has been expelled, her father is giving her to someone she doesn't love, and now her friend is refusing to participate in the only activity that will allow her to still see him every day. She's afraid, Nikola." James grabbed Nikola's shoulder, shaking him slightly. Nikola held James's gaze for several seconds, causing James to think he might actually be sobering up, before he threw the wine bottle at a wall, smashing the glass.

"What do you know about anything? Why would the great Helen Magnus be afraid? She's been attacked by a bloody _griffin _and barely batted an eyelash!" he shouted, turning away from his friend.

"She's afraid of losing you. She's afraid you're going to return to Serbia and she's never going to see you again. And as you so eloquently pointed out, Helen Magnus is not used to being afraid. So she lashed out. If you return to the lab sessions, and apologize to her, even if you aren't getting anything done, at least she'll know you're still here."

"I'm done with her! I'm done with trying to make her happy, and I'm done with seeing her when I can't have her!" As soon as Nikola was done speaking, James punched him.

"You pompous, arrogant son of a bitch! Grow up, Nikola. You didn't get what you want, so now you're going to throw a tantrum and run away from your problems!" He yelled. "You're a bloody coward! You know what? I don't even _care_ if you come tomorrow! Our group needs people who are brave enough to stand up to their problems! Just stay here and rot, for all I care!" With that, James left, slamming the door on his way out. Nikola watched him go in silent shock, plopping down on the couch.

"Bože, šta sam uradio?" he mumbled to himself, staring at the fire again.

Kiri found Helen sitting next to the small pond in the center of the park, her knees drawn up to her chest and her chin on her knees. Kiri bounced over and dropped down next to her, taking her hand comfortingly.

"I believe I should probably tell you that I punched John," she remarked without preamble. Helen turned to her, raising an eyebrow.

"Why?" she questioned slowly. Kiri shrugged.

"I was a little upset, and he was there." She didn't tell Helen the truth. Helen didn't have to know what John had done. "James is talking to Nikola right now." Helen looked at her in surprise.

"About what?"

"The fight you two had. We don't want you two to be angry with each other." Kiri rested her head on Helen's shoulder as though to comfort herself.

"I'm not angry at Nikola, not really." Kiri cocked her head, and Helen chuckled. "Don't get me wrong, I think he's acting like a petulant five-year-old who's never heard the word 'no' before, but I'm not angry at him. I'm angry at the circumstances. I love him. And I had my hopes up that we could get married. I never expected John to ask Father for permission to court me. And I never expected Father to pick him over Nikola. When he told me, I-I just didn't know what to do." Helen wrapped an arm around Kiri and rested her head on Kiri's, allowing tears to fall.

"Why don't you tell him these things?"

"He wouldn't want to see me now anyway. I've messed up, Kiri. After what I said to him, I'll be surprised if he doesn't catch the first boat out of here." Kiri giggled, and Helen pulled back. "I hardly see what's so funny about all this."

"Helen, he loves you. He'll stay around forever, just on the small chance that you might someday be his." Kiri looked up at Helen sincerely, squeezing her hand.

"I feel as though I'm losing him. He was talking of returning to Smiljan, and I don't know if I could handle that. I-I don't really want to be married to John. I mean, John's great, a perfect gentleman. He's what any woman should dream of marrying. And I do love him, as a friend. But I love Nikola as so much more than that, and if I could I would marry him."

"Really Helen, you need to be saying these things to Nikola."

"I don't know if I could. Not after what I did. Kiri, I practically told him I would never love him!" Helen stood and walked a few steps away, wrapping her arms around herself. Kiri stood and leapt onto Helen's back, resting her chin on Helen's shoulder.

"Trust me. The longer you put this off, the more unlikely it'll be that he'll accept it. You need to go to him now, while it's still fresh. Otherwise, he'll think you don't really mean what you say."

"How do you know so much about this type of thing?"

"The philosophers in India give away great advice for free." Kiri dropped down and began to walk away.

"Where are you going?" Helen turned to watch Kiri curiously.

"To go make sure Nikola's still alive after James leaves. If it all went well, Nikola should be ready to return to the lab in a couple of days. If not, I'll knock him out and drag him there myself. Idiote čovek!" Kiri threw her arms up as she said the last word, shaking her head in exasperation.

"Good night, Kiri," Helen called. Kiri waved over her shoulder as she started to skip away.

**Bože, šta sam uradio? - God, what have I done?**

**Idiote čovek - Idiot Man  
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	17. Chapter 17

**Junior Year is taking a lot longer than it was originally supposed to...Originally it was supposed to be like, 3 chapters. Well, there's some Nikola/Kiri fluff, because I wanted to show how this fight was affecting Kiri. Also Gregory shows up, with the Source Blood, and some questions are raised about Kiri's trip to India. Overall, a packed chapter. Enjoy**

**Disclaimer  
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When Kiri arrived at their shared apartment, Nikola was still on the couch, staring at the fireplace. She sighed and picked up the broken fragments of glass silently before joining him on the couch.

"Ona nikada ne dešava da razgovaraju sa mnom opet, ona je?" He asked, not looking at her.

"Nonsense, Nika. Of course she will. She would like nothing more." Kiri leaned against him, giving him her support.

"Oni verovatno neće ni da me pusti nazad u laboratoriji posle ovoga." Nikola seemed to be ignoring her, and Kiri huffed.

"Nikola Tesla, if you don't stop talking like that this instant, I'm not going to let you have any wine for a month!" She picked up the half-full bottle of wine off the coffee table in front of them and walked over to the fireplace, holding it at an angle.

"Alright, alright," Nikola conceded, narrowing his eyes. Kiri smirked and set the bottle down on the mantle before returning to Nikola's side.

"You need to sleep off the wine, Nika. Come on." She bent down and looped one of his arms over her shoulders. She helped him stand and make his way to his bedroom. Kiri dumped him unceremoniously on the bed and went to close the curtains. Once everything was set, Kiri walked over and kissed Nikola lightly on the forehead. She bounced off to her room and closed the door.

Nikola regained consciousness at around three in the morning. He sat up and furrowed his brow when he heard muffled sounds from somewhere down the hall. Coming out of his room, he realized the sounds were coming from Kiri's room. He knocked on the door lightly.

"Kiri, are you alright?" he called softly. The sounds stopped, and there were a few seconds of silence.

"I am fine. I had some work to finish, that's all," Kiri responded through the door. Nikola sighed before gently opening the door. Kiri was sitting in the middle of her bed, still in the dress she'd been wearing that day, her hands clenched on the quilt that was just barely covering her legs. Her eyes were red from crying, and there were tear marks on her cheeks.

"What's wrong, sestrice?" Nikola questioned, moving to sit down beside her.

"N-nothing is wrong. I-" Kiri began to protest, turning away to hide her face. Nikola pulled her closer and pressed her head against his chest, and within seconds she was crying again. Nikola rubbed her hair and back, trying to calm her down. When her tears finally died down, Nikola gently cupped her chin with his finger and lifted her head so she was looking at him.

"Tell me," he commanded softly. Kiri dropped her eyes, and for a few seconds Nikola thought she would ignore him.

"You and Helen were fighting, and now she thinks you won't speak to her, and you think she won't speak to you, and you were both upset and yelling and-" Nikola cut Kiri off by placing a finger on her lips, and Kiri gave him a guilty look. He pulled her closer again, tucking her head under his chin.

"I'm so, so sorry, Kiri. I never meant to put you in the middle of all this. I guess I forgot about how this would affect you," he whispered, stroking his sister's hair.

"Nika, it's not your fault. And besides, you shouldn't have to worry about how this is going to affect me. I should be worrying about how it affects you." Kiri squirmed slightly in his hold until she could look up at him, grinning.

"I'm your older brother; it's my job to worry about you." Nikola placed a kiss on Kiri's forehead, and pulled back, watching as Kiri burrowed under the covers. She was asleep almost instantly, and Nikola stood in the doorway for a few minutes, watching her sleep pensively.

The next day, Kiri arrived at the lab alone, and Helen, James, John, and Nigel were already there. John shot Kiri a dirty look, which she ignored as she bounced to Nikola's empty station and began cleaning everything. The others watched her curiously, though she still refused to look at any of them.

"Is Nikola coming?" James finally questioned. Kiri jumped and finally met their eyes, her own eyes wide.

"I do not know. I overslept today, and he was already gone when I woke up." Kiri grinned at them before turning back to what she was doing. She was just finishing up half an hour later when the door to the lab opened and Nikola walked in, his eyes down as he walked over to his area. Kiri stood next to him, cocking her head. Helen walked over to him, glancing once at Kiri, who nodded encouragingly.

"Niko, we're all going to the pub after this for dinner. Would you like to come?" she asked gently. Nikola looked at her in surprise.

"A-are you sure?" he questioned, glancing at all of them.

"Of course. You're part of this group too, you know." Helen smiled at him, and Nikola allowed a small smile to cross his face.

"Alright. I'll come," he assented, nodding. Helen's smile widened. She started to walk away before stopping and facing him again.

"Niko, are…are we still friends?" A rare moment of vulnerability crossed her face as she watched him.

"Yeah, we are," he assured her, smiling again. The five of them went back to work, and for another hour a peaceful calm fell over the room. They worked quickly and quietly, only speaking if they needed advice. Kiri flitted in between them, cleaning up what needed to be cleaned and occasionally watching the others work. After an hour, there was a knock on the door, and Kiri was there in an instant, opening the door to reveal Gregory, who looked like it had been a while since he had last slept.

"Father, what are you doing here?" Helen asked immediately, rushing forward to help him. He handed her a satchel, which she took and placed on a table as he walked over to a chair sitting in the corner.

"Two days ago, I was brought a container of a rare type of blood," he told them, leaning back. "I believe it belongs to an ancient race known as _Sanguine vampires,_ vampires. I have spent these last two days researching them, and not much is known about them or their blood."

"And you want us to experiment with it?" James guessed, walking closer. Gregory nodded as he gestured to Helen to hand him his bag. He pulled out a glass container with strange Hindu markings around the top. Inside the container was about a pint of blood, looking as fresh as though it had been gathered a week ago. Helen took the container from her father, looking it over.

"It is said that vampires were immune to disease. If we could figure out why and replicate it, this could be the key to curing every disease known to man." Gregory stood, heading towards the door. "I'll leave you five to it." With that, he left, closing the door behind him. Helen, Nikola, James, Nigel, and John all looked at each other, then looked towards Kiri, who was in a corner where she'd been cleaning.

"There's Hindu on this container," Nigel remarked. Kiri cocked her head.

"I can only read English and some Serbian, Nigel. You know that." She furrowed her brow.

"Didn't you return from India two days ago?" James took a step forward. Kiri's eyes widened as she realized what they were saying.

"I'm not the one who gave that to him. I have never seen it before. I was in India meeting with a friend of my employer." She shook her head vigorously. Nikola chuckled at her as he turned to the others.

"Where should we begin?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

**Ona nikada ne dešava da razgovaraju sa mnom opet, ona je? – She's never going to talk to me again, is she?**

**Oni verovatno neće ni da me pusti nazad u laboratoriji posle ovoga. - They're probably not even going to let me back in the lab after this.**


	18. Chapter 18

**This chapter took me a little longer to get through, and I'm not overly happy with it, but I had to throw the Adam scenes in there sometime. Originally he was supposed to be introduced much earlier, and Kiri was going to notice him watching them, but I got so distracted by everything else that I didn't do that. Also the timeline's moving a little faster than I was expecting, so once Helen goes back to school for her senior year they won't be working on the blood as much so I can make sure they experiment with it when I want them to. **

**Also, it took me a little longer to get through because every single story I have on alert all updated within the last 24 hours, even ones that haven't updated for a month, so I've been busy reading those. Annnyway, enjoy.  
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**Disclaimer  
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The next few months passed with the five of them spending most of the time in the lab, even over the summer. Kiri left over the summer, off doing something for her employer. They started out testing undiluted samples of the blood on rats, and quickly realized that the blood was dangerous in its pure form. Half of the rats went mad, cannibalizing each other or killing themselves by slamming their heads against the cages. The other half of the rats just sort of slipped away, dying in their sleep. They began to experiment with diluting the blood. Kiri returned a month later, her right arm wrapped in bandages and a scratch that went from her left forehead to just below her lips on her right side.

About a week after Kiri had returned they were working in the lab, Kiri helping out where she could, when the door opened on them. A man who appeared to be about a year younger than Helen and Nikola entered, startling the five scientists.

"Ahoy," the man greeted in a strong Scottish accent, shutting the door. They all rushed to hide the experiments, glancing at each other in alarm.

"I thought I locked the door," Nikola remarked, sighing. Kiri walked forward from next to Nikola, cocking her head.

"Who are you?" she questioned, narrowing her eyes.

"Adam Worth, he's a third year," Helen responded. "What are you doing here, Adam?"

"I was just wondering how the experiment is coming along." Adam moved forward, but Nigel and Nikola moved to block his view. John moved closer to him, standing over him imposingly.

"Don't you have somewhere else to be? A lecture, perhaps?" the older man demanded.

"Mr. Worth, you have a mathematics course right now," Kiri told him, walking over to stand beside John.

"Must be very important whatever it is; it's been keeping you all quite busy the last few weeks." Adam ignored them as he began to flip through a notebook, which Nikola quickly grabbed and handed to Kiri.

"I believe Mr. Worth has been spying on us." Nigel moved to stand in front of Kiri, effectively blocking the younger girl from view.

"Adam, please. You can trust me." Adam told them, furrowing his brow in mock hurt. "Secret shipments of plasma, sounds really exiting, some kind of a new breakthrough." The man moved closer to the table, looking over their equipment.

"Mr. Worth, I really think you should be leaving now," Kiri remarked from behind Nigel and Nikola, peering out from around them.

"I could be quite useful to you. Top marks in me anatomy course." Adam allowed John to force him out the door. John closed and locked the door, turning to face the others.

"Nigel, Nika, I don't need to be protected, you know." Kiri forced herself out from between them, glaring at each of them in turn.

"He seemed questionable," Nikola responded, moving back to where he'd been before the interruption.

"Not as questionable as you," Nigel joked, throwing a smirk towards the Serbian. Nikola made a face at him as they both turned back to their work.

They didn't see Adam again for at least a week, during which time they had managed to make a great deal of progress in their experiments. Adam knocked this time, and Kiri let him in after checking to make sure the others had covered everything up.

"Mr. Worth, what a surprise," she exclaimed, taking a step back.

"Hello again. I would like to speak with you." Adam moved farther into the room, barely glancing at Kiri before turning to face the others.

"What do you want, Adam?" John demanded, stepping forward.

"I wanted to plead my case to you. You really could use me, you know. I would be quite helpful." Adam was at the desk by now, looking over the various chemicals they had. Helen walked closer to Adam, trying to remain calm.

"We will consider it, Adam. If you would wait in the hallway." She smiled as she opened the door, and Adam left, throwing a searching glance over them. Once the door was closed, Helen turned to face the others.

"We'll consider it?" Nikola questioned, furrowing his brow.

"He deserves that much, at least." Helen responded.

"You have to admit he's brilliant," John pointed out, glancing around at them.

"And scary," Kiri added from next to Nikola.

"And British." Nigel gives Nikola a pointed look, and Nikola makes a face in response.

"Hysterical," he remarked. There were several chuckles throughout the room as Helen turned to face them from where she was standing near the board.

"Does anyone else notice anything odd about Adam?" she inquired, looking around.

"He just pointed it out. He's British." Nikola winked at Nigel, causing another round of chuckles.

"Did anyone read his monograph of forced tissue regeneration?" Nigel questioned, glancing up.

"The thing he did with door mice? Poor creatures grew two heads." John looked disgusted at the fact.

"That was him? Oh, we can't work with him!" Kiri exclaimed, looking horrified as she looked away from the bucket of water she was using to wash things off in the corner.

"Very nearly worked though," stated Helen. "A daring theory to say the least."

"I'd lean more towards twisted myself," Nigel piped up.

"Twisted, daring it doesn't matter. The point is, we don't need anyone else; the five of us are enough," Nikola told them.

"I agree, as clever as Adam is, our group is fine without him." Helen made her way to the door as everyone nodded their assent. Helen went outside to talk to Adam while Kiri turned to Nikola.

"Did he really do that to the mice?" she questioned, her eyes worried. Nikola wrapped an arm around her shoulders comfortingly.

"Don't think about it, sestrice." He kissed the top of her head lightly as Kiri stared ahead with wide eyes.

"But-" she began to say, before being cut off by Helen's entrance.

"Well, we should return to work." She remarked as she entered, moving back to stand beside James at the chalkboard.


	19. Chapter 19

**This chapter sucks. It literally hurts me on the inside, but it was necessary. I need Helen to be out of school. We're closing in on the end. Next chapter is going to be Helen's graduation (which is mostly there for some nice Nikola/Kiri fluff I have planned), and the chapter after that will be the injection of the source blood, so we're in the home stretch. Next chapter will be better, I swear, so don't hate me. Most of what was supposed to happen Senior year ended up happening Junior year, so that's why I buzzed through it. Anyway, enjoy, or not. Because I didn't.**

**PS - Phillip is named after a bouncy ball I won at a carnival last year that has since popped. RIP Phillip.  
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**Disclaimer**

When classes started for Helen again, the five of them stopped meeting as often, instead meeting at the lab only once a week. In addition to that, Kiri left two days into the school year, telling them not to expect her back until the following spring. Two days later, Minku appeared and stayed at the Magnus mansion. Over Christmas, the Five stayed at the mansion as well, helping Gregory and Minku with several abnormals Minku had apparently been chasing for the last year or so. The tall woman gave the group of them an ancient looking tome with writing none of them recognized.

"It is the ancient writing of the vampires. I thought you five would enjoy it," she'd told them. They had exchanged looks, and since that day they spent most of their time trying to translate the writing. The vacation passed quickly, and soon Helen was busy almost every day. Not only did she have senior work to do for her classes, but Minku and Gregory had apparently stepped up the amount of work she did with the abnormals, as once she graduated she would be working with her father as a doctor to the abnormals. Because of this, it was almost April before they had managed to refine the Source blood enough for the rats they tested it on to survive. They were amazed at the results it had on the rats, they seemed to gain special abilities from the blood. It was after one such experiment in late April, with only three weeks left of the semester, that Helen had the idea that they should test it on themselves. They were in the lab, just cleaning up, and Helen turned to face the others from where she was standing by Kiri in the corner.

"Do you suppose it would have the same effects on us?" she asked curiously, brow furrowed in the expression that told them all that she had an idea.

"Helen, if you're suggesting that we inject _ourselves_," John began, walking closer.

"And why not? We've done it with the rats, and they survived," Helen countered.

"They're rats!" John exclaimed, lifting one up by the tail.

"Mr. Druitt, don't do that. You'll hurt Phillip!" Kiri exclaimed, running forward to take the rat out of the man's hands.

"It's a rat, Kiri." John gave her a look that was a mixture of confusion and disdain.

"Just because they're not like us doesn't mean they don't deserve respect!" Kiri cuddled Phillip to her chest, glaring at John as she mumbled reassuring words to the creature in her hands. John shook his head at her as he turned back to Helen.

"I'm still not sure if it's a good idea." He gently placed a hand on Helen's arm and locked eyes with her. Since he had become her suitor, he had become even more gentlemanly, and Helen had grown to almost love him.

"I think it is an interesting proposition," James remarked, walking over.

"Are we really considering doing this?" John demanded, looking at the other men.

"Are you against this because you actually think it's a bad idea, or because you are afraid I'll get hurt?" Helen demanded, narrowing her eyes.

"I'm always worried about you, Helen." John tightened his grip on her arm slightly, a possessive look in his eyes.

"How very kind of you, John. But I am a scientist, and if I want to inject myself with the source blood, I am going to do it with or without your approval." She pulled away and walked towards the cages of rats. So far they had experimented on twenty, and no two rats had developed the same ability. The one she looked at now was one which had developed hard spikes along its back, and its head was covered in scales. As far as they could tell, that had been the most painful transformation, but John was right about one thing. These were rats; injecting themselves could yield drastically different results.

"What do you three think?" Helen inquired, turning to Nigel, Nikola, and Kiri.

"I'm curious as well. I would very much like to see what would happen," Nikola stated with a familiar light in his eyes.

"I'm in," Nigel added, nodding. Kiri cocked her head for a second.

"I do not believe it will have any adverse effects on you, if that is what you are asking," she remarked, blinking.

"Would you take it?" Nigel questioned, meeting Kiri's gaze.

"P-perhaps, were I allowed to. But my employer would no doubt be upset if I did something such as this," she answered, shrugging.

"If you insist on going through with this folly, I will as well," John told Helen, who nodded.

"Very well, we will do it then. However, I would like to wait until after graduation, if that's alright with you?" Helen raised her eyebrows at the others, who all nodded. With that, the five split up, with James and John going towards the pub together, Nigel heading home, and Nikola, Kiri, and Helen heading towards Nikola and Kiri's shared apartment, which was on Helen's way home.

"Does Minku have more work for you today?" Nikola asked Helen as they walked.

"Actually, Minku said she wouldn't be available for a while. I suppose she is chasing after another abnormal," replied Helen.

"Speaking of which, when did you get back, Kiri?" Nikola turned to the younger girl, who'd been watching some birds nearby.

"This morning. I didn't get a chance to return home before lab." Kiri smiled at him. When they arrived at their apartment, Helen waved goodbye to them as she continued on and Kiri beat Nikola inside, beginning to make them dinner.


	20. Chapter 20

**This chapter is super super short, but I've been really busy and it's mostly just filler anyway. I had the idea for the Nikola/Kiri scene at the beginning, and it didn't really fit anywhere, so I threw it in a separate chapter. Next chapter they'll be taking the source blood. Anyway, enjoy.**

**Disclaimer  
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The day of Helen's graduation rolled around, and she'd asked both Nikola and Kiri to be there. Kiri was in her bedroom, putting on the green dress Nikola had gotten her two years ago. She was just finishing up with her hair when she heard the familiar sound of a wine bottle being uncorked from the front room. Ever since that one night he'd gotten drunk, Nikola only ever drank wine if he was upset about something. Kiri sighed as she made her way into the living room.

"What's wrong, Nika?" she questioned as she entered, seeing Nikola sitting on the couch with a bottle of wine in one hand.

"I don't know if I can go today," Nikola told her, not moving.

"Why not?" Kiri sat down next to Nikola, taking the wine from him to place it on the coffee table. The Serbian sighed and leaned into the corner of the couch, looking towards Kiri.

"I- I would've been graduating today. Everyone back home was so proud I managed to go to Oxford. And because of one rumor I have to watch the graduation I should have been a part of." Nikola looked down at his hands as though he was ashamed, and Kiri reached over to pat his knee.

"I understand that it hurts, but Helen wants you there. Think about it, Nika, she specifically asked for you to come. She'll be crushed if you don't show up."

"She doesn't need me there. John is going; she won't even realize I'm not there." Nikola moved his gaze to the window, and flinched when Kiri suddenly hit his knee.

"She didn't _ask_ for John, she asked for you. And it's not a matter of who she _needs_ to have with her; it's who she _wants_ to have with her. Helen has known you for longer than any other member of the Five. So stop your moping and go get dressed." Kiri pointed towards Nikola's bedroom, and he gave her a petulant look as he stood up and made his way through the apartment. When he walked out of his room twenty minutes later, he was wearing a tux Kiri had bought him for Christmas the previous year.

When they arrived at courtyard where the graduation would take place, they found Gregory and John, with two empty seats next to them, which Nikola and Kiri took. They remained silent throughout the ceremony, and afterwards followed Gregory towards where Helen was waiting. As soon as she was in view, Kiri ran over to her and jumped at her, wrapping her in a tight hug. Helen instinctively wrapped her arms around the younger girl, laughing.

"Hello Kiri," she greeted, grinning.

"Congratulations!" Kiri exclaimed, dropping back to the ground. Helen gave her one more smile before looking up at the other people who'd come. Her eyes widened when she saw Nikola.

"Niko, you came!" She stated happily, hugging her friend tightly. Nikola looked taken aback for a moment, then returned the embrace.

"Of course I came," he replied when they parted. "You asked me to come, did you not?" He smiled, kissing her forehead before stepping aside to allow Gregory and John to say their congratulations. Nikola draped an arm across Kiri's shoulder as he watched them. "Hvala vam, malo sestra."

"Nema na čemu." Kiri leaned into him, grinning. Gregory took them all out to lunch afterwards, James and Nigel meeting them at the pub. Gregory allowed the six of them to spend the night at the mansion, and they ended up falling asleep in the living room.

**hvala vam , malo sestra – thank you, little sister**

**nema na čemu – you're welcome**


	21. Chapter 21

**Source Blood Chapter. Yay :) Another new chapter should be up tomorrow (if I'm not too busy, one of my friends might be swinging by to lend me some movies, and if they do expect a lot of updates). The next chapter is already mostly planned though, so that's good. And I know I've been saying this since chapter ten, but this time we really do only have one or two chapters left. But I have a sequel planned that you shouldn't have to wait too long for. Or who knows? I have a Doctor Who fic I want to finished first, plus a one shot/possible series that's teslen, so maybe it will be a while before I get around to the sequel. Anyway, enjoy.**

**Disclaimer  
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Two weeks later, the Five were seated in the office Gregory had given to Helen as a graduation present. Helen was sitting in a chair in the center of the room with John kneeling on her right, watching her with a mixture of pride and concern. James stood behind her in full protective mode, his hands clasped in front of him as he watched with narrowed eyes. Nigel stood in a corner, leaning against the wall as he too watched. Kiri was sitting on Helen's desk. Despite choosing not to inject herself, Kiri had insisted that she be there, not willing to let Helen and Nikola especially go through with it without her there. Nikola was standing next to Kiri, slowly drawing a dose of the serum into a hypodermic needle.

"It's ready," he told them, turning to face the room. Nigel suddenly took half a step forward.

"You don't have to go first. John or I could have a go to start," he remarked, his face full of concern.

"He's right. No need for unnecessary heroics. The side-effects are completely unknown," added James, placing a hand on Helen's shoulder. Helen glanced at all of them, taking deep breaths to calm her nerves. She looked up at Nikola and Kiri, who both had looks that told her they were with her no matter what she chose.

"Thank you, gentlemen. But this experiment was of my design. I shall be the one to prove its worth," she finally said, giving them a small smile. John reached out and took her hand, stroking it gently with his thumb.

"Helen, are you certain?" he questioned.

"We've risked too much to turn back now. We need to know." Helen turned back to Nikola, who was waiting patiently for her decision. "You may proceed, Niko." She nodded at him, and the Serbian walked over to kneel in front of her. He caught her gaze one last time, and she nodded again reassuringly. She moved her gaze to Kiri as Nikola pressed the needle into her arm. Kiri held her gaze, smiling reassuringly. Nikola pressed down the plunger, and Helen gasped in pain, squeezing Nikola's and John's hands tightly. Her eyes widened as she turned to face John. Instantly Kiri was off the table and moving forwards, but James walked around to stop her. Helen's body tensed, and for a moment she stopped breathing and her eyes flashed black. Just as suddenly as it had started, the pain ended and Helen was left gasping for breath on the chair. John moved so he was in front of her, brushing a strand of hair out of her face.

"How are you, darling?" he questioned gently.

"Tired," Helen responded quietly, still trying to catch her breath. She remained sitting for a few moments more in case there were any other side effects. She finally stood, albeit shakily, and moved aside so John could sit down. Once he was seated, Helen filled a needle and walked over to inject him. Now that she had gone through the experience and seemed relatively healthy, the other four were much less nervous, and John even seemed rather cocky about the whole thing. He had a smirk on his face as Helen injected him, and he tried desperately to hide how much pain he was in, though he let out a small gasp. After a few seconds, the pain seemed to subside, and John was in the process of standing when he disappeared in a puff of pink smoke.

"John?" Helen called out uncertainly. There were a few seconds of tense silence before John walked in from the hallway, a curious expression on his face.

"That was the most peculiar experience. I do believe I just teleported," he commented, looking around at all of them.

"Were there any ill effects?" James inquired, furrowing his brow.

"Not that I can tell. I feel completely normal, considering I just traveled six rooms down the hallway in under five seconds," answered John, shrugging. It was James's turn next, and he sat down with an interested look on his face. This time it was Nigel who injected him, and again there was the few seconds of pain, followed by a second or two of silence. Suddenly James grabbed his head, doubling over and letting out a long shout of pain. Nikola had to hold Kiri back again, as she tried to go to James.

"James?" she asked, her face a perfect picture of fear. After almost a full minute, James let go of his head, looking up and catching Kiri's gaze.

"I'm alright, Kiri," he assured her, smiling weakly. Helen helped him to stand, and Nigel took his seat. John injected Nigel, and after the pain subsided the younger man vanished, only his clothes remaining visible, appearing to be on an invisible statue.

"Nigel?" Nikola asked slowly.

"I'm here, Nikola. I appear to have…disappeared." Nigel chuckled lightly at his own joke while the others glanced at each other. After a few minutes, Nigel reappeared, blinking. He stood and moved aside, and Nikola sat, taking a deep breath. Despite the fact that the other four had gone through the process relatively unscathed, he was still nervous. He had requested that Kiri be the one to inject the serum, and Helen measured out a dose before handing it to the younger woman.

"Srećno," she whispered as she began to inject the serum. Like the others, Nikola gasped in pain and his eyes flashed black. Unlike the others, however, the pain did not stop after a few seconds, and long claws sprouted from Nikola's fingers. He gasped, revealing a pair of razor sharp fangs in his mouth. He seemed disoriented for a few seconds before his eyes strayed to Kiri's. There were several tense minutes where the only sound was Nikola's panting as the pair held each other's gaze. Finally, Nikola seemed to calm down and his eyes, hands, and teeth returned to normal. Before anyone could say anything, though, he collapsed. Kiri and Helen both caught him, glancing at each other.

**Srećno – good luck**


	22. Chapter 22

**Yay, another chapter. Once again, this turned out to be dramatically differently than what I'd originally planned. But oh well, I still like it. More at the bottom. Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer  
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Ten minutes later, Nikola had been laid out in his bed with Kiri seated next to him. The others had locked the door from the outside at Kiri's insistence, and everyone else had agreed. They had no idea what the effects of Nikola's transformation were, or how violent he would become. However, they had also agreed that he couldn't be left on his own, and so Kiri stayed in the room with him. They had rigged a hole into the door which allowed them to pass through food. Nikola was unconscious and he had a high fever, which Kiri was working to keep down using wet cloths. There were a couple of times when he seemed to wake up slightly, though his eyes never opened past slits and the few times he spoke he made little sense, mostly whispering about how he could hear the blood.

Nikola himself had little memory of the few days he spent convalescing on the bed. He had a few flashes of moments in which Kiri was leaning over him, wiping his face with cool water, or checking his pulse. He had a foggy memory of waking up once and Kiri was nowhere to be found. Instead, Minku was leaning against the side of his bed, her arms crossed as she stared out the window silently. She had been singing softly, and Nikola had recognized the song as an old Serbian lullaby his mother had sung to him and his brother.

After almost three days, Nikola woke up enough to be aware of his surroundings, and to sit up slightly. As soon as he moved, Kiri bounced in from the attached bathroom.

"Nika, you're awake!" she exclaimed, grinning. Nikola smiled tiredly at her, wiping his face with one hand.

"I'm starving," he remarked, glancing around. Kiri sat down on the bed in front of him, handing him a bowl of warm broth. Nikola ate silently for several minutes until the bowl was empty, before reaching out a grabbing another bowl. Once he was done with that, he looked around to find a third. Kiri moved so she was kneeling, placing one hand over his own hands, which were sitting limply on his lap, while her other hand went up to feel his forehead. As her wrist pressed against his cheek, he felt his heart rate quicken. Blackness flooded his eyes and his claws and fangs extended. He reached up and grabbed Kiri's arm, pulling it down to stare at the veins hiding just under the skin. Kiri watched him silently, cocking her head. Nikola sniffed, closing his eyes in pleasure.

"N-Nika?" Kiri questioned, furrowing her brow.

"I am so hungry, sestrice." Nikola's voice was several octaves deeper than normal. He drew Kiri's wrist to his mouth, sinking his teeth in. Kiri gasped at the momentary pain before the area went numb. Nikola sucked in her blood, drinking so fast that some dribbled onto his chin. She sat still, watching him with wide eyes. Suddenly his eyes returned to their normal grey and he pulled away, a horrified look on his face.

"Bože, šta sam uradio?" He ripped a piece of cloth off the blanked covering his legs and wrapped it around the bite mark, pressing down. Through all this, he refused to meet her gaze. Finally, she sighed and cupped his face, lifting his gaze to meet hers. They locked eyes for a few seconds.

"Nika, I'm okay, really. Don't worry about it." Kiri kissed Nikola's forehead comfortingly, and when she pulled away she held up her arm. "See, it's already turned into a scar. Vampires release a hormone into the bloodstreams of their victims which aid in the healing process of the bite."

"How did you know?" Nikola pulled back so he could look his sister in the eyes, his brow furrowed.

"Helen let me read the translations of the texts that were found with the source blood." Kiri turned around and leaned back against her brother's chest, and he wrapped his arms around her.

"How long have we been in here?"

"About three days."

"And you've been with me this whole time?" Nikola tightened his hold slightly.

"Yup." Kiri snuggled closer to Nikola, and soon she was falling asleep.

While Kiri and Nikola had been locked in Nikola's room, John, James, and Nigel had been studying and practicing with their new abilities. John was able to teleport within a hundred-yard area at will, and Nigel was becoming more and more proficient at turning invisible. James had discovered new depths to his mind, and was in the library reading almost constantly.

Helen, however, had yet to figure out what the blood had done to her. She had shown absolutely no physical changes, and so far she had noticed no physiological changes either. She was trying hard not to be envious of the others, but the experiment _had_ been her idea, and she was the only one who hadn't benefited in some way. She particularly wanted to talk to Nikola about it, but the last time she had spoken to Kiri, the younger woman had told her that he wasn't ready to see anyone else yet.

Nikola and Kiri left their room five days after first going in. Gregory invited the whole group to dinner. Gregory sat at one end of the table, with Helen sitting at the other end. John sat on Helen's right, with Nigel next to him. Kiri sat on Helen's other side, with Nikola in the middle and James on the other side.

"I…have something to tell all of you," Nikola announced as they were finishing up dessert.

"What is it, Niko?" Helen inquired, leaning forward.

"I am moving to Budapest in a week. I have accepted a job with a company there."

**Bože, šta sam uradio? – God, what have I done?**

**So, originally Nikola was going to be all angsty about biting Kiri, and that was why he was leaving. He probably still will be, a little bit, but not as much as originally planned. But I realized Kiri wouldn't allow anyone to angst that much, so this happened. Also, there was supposed to be a major reveal when Kiri was bitten, but I changed my mind about that as well. The reveal will be next chapter.  
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	23. Chapter 23

Nikola's announcement was met with almost instant chaos. James and Nigel were demanding to know why he'd decided to leave. Helen was trying to convince him not to leave, and Gregory was trying to calm them all down. Only John and Kiri remained silent, though a smirk had spread across John's face. Nikola was blushing faintly. He hadn't been expecting this kind of reaction, especially from James and Nigel. He had perhaps expected Helen and Kiri to talk to him later and try to convince him to stay. He looked around at them, his blush rising as they became even louder. Finally Gregory slammed his hands on the table, effectively shutting the rest of them up.

"Nikola, you may want to answer their questions," he remarked, raising an eyebrow at the Serbian before turning to the others. "But we're going one at a time, starting with Mr. Griffin." Gregory nodded at Nigel.

"What made you decide to leave?" he questioned curiously.

"It was always my plan to leave London after I had graduated. I feel I will learn more by working, and I'll be able to better fund my research." Nikola shrugged slightly, trying to remain nonchalant.

"Nikola, please stay," Helen pleaded, reaching out to place a hand over his. "We could fund your research; you don't have to leave for that." Her eyes met his, and he read the sorrow there.

"I cannot stay here, Helen. I feel…trapped by everything that happened last year. I need to leave, for my sanity as much as the job." He laced his fingers through hers, and there were a few seconds of silence before Nikola turned to James.

"If this is because of your transformation, please know that none of us are afraid of you in the slightest," the older man stated, smiling.

"I know, and it's not. I simply feel a need to leave." Now Nikola turned to Kiri, who was silently contemplating the table in front of her, not even noticing that everyone else was staring at her.

"Kiri, why are you so silent? Surely you must be as reluctant to let Nikola leave as the rest of us," James inquired, leaning forward so he could see around Nikola. Finally, Kiri looked up, her green eyes wide and watery.

"It does not matter. My employer told me this morning that we are leaving London permanently. I'm only going to be here for another ten days anyway." Kiri glanced around at the others, tears in her eyes. Helen reached out her hand to take Kiri's. As Kiri stretched out her own arm in reply, the sleeve of her dress pulled back slightly to reveal the scars from where Nikola had bitten her. The others gasped, and Kiri pulled her arm back quickly, blushing faintly.

"Did you bite her?" John demanded, narrowing his eyes. Normally, he wouldn't have cared, but any chance to make Nikola seem like a complete bastard was one he would take. Nikola was staring at his hands, blushing shamefully and looking like he would very much like to disappear like Nigel could. Kiri placed a hand over his before raising her eyes to glare defiantly at John.

"It was my choice. Nikola was starving, he needed blood. I knew he wouldn't hurt or kill me, so I gave him some," she declared, squeezing Nikola's hand as she spoke. John's eyes flashed with anger, and he stood, sending his chair clattering to the ground.

"You will not address me in that manner!" he shouted, hands clenching on the table. Kiri stood as well, her own eyes suddenly changing to a grey-blue color. There was a flash of light, and when it faded Minku was standing where Kiri had been moments before.

"I will no longer allow you to treat Kiri this way. From now on you will be lucky if you even see her again, Mr. Druitt," Minku stated, her voice filled with an eerie calm that sent chills down almost everyone's back. Suddenly Nikola, who had been gaping at Minku, jumped up.

"What did you do with Kiri?" he demanded, eyes darkening. Minku chuckled faintly.

"Nika, I am Kiri. Kiri is me. In a way. We are a shape-shifter, only each form also has a separate personality," she explained. There was another burst of light, and Kiri was once again standing in front of them. "We can change form at will, although sometimes our emotions make it difficult to control the transformations."

"Is the mysterious employer of yours one of your forms?" James asked, furrowing his brow. Kiri looked thoughtful for a moment before answering.

"You could say that. My employer is all of us. We invented an employer as a way to explain long absences. For instance, if Minku wanted to be out for a while, I would tell you that I had a job from my employer, so you wouldn't wonder where I was while Minku was here."

"So who was funding your stay here? You couldn't have afforded your first apartment without payment." Now it was Helen's turn to furrow her brow at her friend. Kiri clasped her hands behind her back as she nodded towards Gregory, who was looking remarkably unperturbed by the events unfolding in front of him. For the third time that night, the others all turned in unison to gape.

"It's true. I first met Kiri when I was about ten, and my parents and I agreed to make sure Kiri would always have whatever she needed whenever she is in London," Gregory confirmed.

"I can also control how old I appear," Kiri added, seeing the confusion on Nikola's face. There was a flash of light, and a three-year-old Kiri was standing in front of him for a few seconds before Kiri returned to her eighteen-year-old self in another flash of light. "The only drawback is that my personality and abilities adjust to match the age I appear, so when I appear younger I have the mind and abilities of a child, and if I appear too old I become feeble-minded and weak."

"Wait, if you are your own employer, why do you have to leave?" Nigel questioned.

"I – I am afraid I cannot tell you that at this moment. It is…important that my reasons for leaving remain unknown." Kiri shrugged, looking apologetic. Before anyone else could speak, Gregory stood with a stern look on his face.

"I am afraid I shall have to demand that all of you retire to your beds. You are all looking tired, and it is my belief that the changes the source blood has caused are putting a great stress on your bodies. Good night." With that, he ushered them out, following the group up to their bedrooms in order to speak to his daughter. Kiri stopped Nikola outside his room, placing a gentle hand on his arm.

"Nika, are we…you don't hate me, do you?" she asked, her face full of uncertainty. Nikola sighed before placing his free hand over hers.

"Of course not," he assured her. "Uvek ću te voleti, sestrice." Nikola bent down to lightly kiss Kiri's forehead. Kiri giggled, smiling up at her friend.

"Volim te suviše, veliki brat," she responded, standing on her toes to peck Nikola on his cheek.

The next week went by in a blur. Nikola and Kiri spent the time packing up their apartment, while the others planned a going away celebration for the two siblings. With only six of them, the celebration was mostly just a nice dinner and the house to themselves for a night. Nikola's boat was due to leave at noon the next day, and they all went down to the docks to see him off. . James and Nigel said brief goodbyes, then John stepped forward, a proud smirk on his face. He clapped Nikola on the shoulder, knocking him sideways a few inches.

"Goodbye, old friend," he said. He stepped back and wrapped an arm around Helen, pulling her closer possessively. Helen pulled herself away and turned to the three men.

"Could Nikola and I have a few moments alone, please?" she inquired, her hands fiddling in front of her. James and Nigel nodded and walked away. With a glare at Nikola, John followed suit, leaving just Helen, Kiri, and Nikola. Kiri turned to leave, but both Helen and Nikola stopped her.

"Stay here," they both said, and Kiri turned back. Helen turned back to Nikola, eyes brimming with unshed tears.

"I'm going to miss you," she whispered, taking Nikola's hand. He stared at their joined hands for a few seconds, then looked up and held Helen's eyes.

"We'll see each other again, Helen," he promised. His mouth slid into a lopsided grin. Helen giggled, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug. Finally, she took a few steps back, still trying to hold back the tears. Kiri took a few steps back and took her hand, offering support. After a few seconds, she dropped Helen's hand and leaped at Nikola, wrapping her arms around him. While they hugged, she leaned forward slightly.

"Sam navijam za vas, znate," she whispered, voice apologetic.

"Znam, sestrice," he whispered back. She dropped down and bounced back to Helen. The two friends waved goodbye to Nikola one last time before turning and walking away to join the three men.

Kiri left London three days later, in the middle of the night. She didn't say good bye to anyone; all she did was leave a note on Helen's bedside table saying that she was sorry for leaving like that and that she would be back one day. She still had never told anyone where or why she was going.

**Uvek ću te voleti, sestrice. – I will always love you, little sister**

**Volim te suviše, veliki brat – I love you too, big brother**

**Sam navijam za vas , znate – I was rooting for you, you know**

**Znam – I Know**

**Aaaand we've finished. That is the end of our journey (for now). Not a huge fan of the ending, but endings are hard, man. So, what did you all think about the reveal? To sum up what Kiri/Minku is, it's like having multiple personalities if every personality also had their own appearance. I wasn't sure if I explained that well in the story.  
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**There will be a sequel eventually, as soon as I manage to get a chapter written, but I have another Teslen story I'm working on, which I'll probably be posting sooner/soonish. The sequel will be set during the Ripper murders.  
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**On another note, we ended on the 23 chapter, which happens to be both my birthday and my lucky number. Look at that. I won't make you read anymore. See you all later.  
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